The North Mianus Bantam Bulldogs stormed out to a 20-0 first quarter lead and played hard through the final three quarters to defeat the Putnam Generals 32-13 to complete an undefeated 10-0 season and capture the 2008 GYFL Championship on Sunday at frigid Cardinal Stadium. Robert Clark led the offense with 137 yards and four touchdowns on six carries and Kevin Iobbi went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season with his eight carries for 107 yards and a touchdown. Following the game, however, head coach Jimmy Loughran told his 34-player strong group that this was a team effort, "From the beginning of the season, it’s been about focus, effort and execution, not about winning. You guys came into this game with the pressure of being nine and zero, you maintained the focus and made the effort and the win took care of itself. I couldn't be more proud of all of you". The Bulldogs set the tone on the game’s first play as Clark burst through the middle of scrimmage and bounced off left tackle behind the blocking of Antonio DiLorenzo and Connor Butler and ran untouched for 60 yards and a touchdown. Iobbi carried the ball in from two yards out to convert the extra point. After big plays by Bulldogs lineman Glenn Saperstein and Daniel Ezquivel forced a Generals punt, North Mianus completed a six play, 50-yard drive that culminated in Clark's second touchdown, at 14-yard run left, taking a pitch from quarterback Nicky Blum. The point after was converted on a run up the gut by fullback Bologna and the Bulldogs had a 14-0 lead less than seven minutes into the game. Two plays later on Clark showed his defensive prowess with a quarterback sack and fumble recovery and, two plays later, Clark and the Bulldogs were back in the end zone as the North Mianus tailback scored his third touchdown of the first quarter on a 28-yard run off right tackle to give the Bulldogs a 20-0 lead. Putnam started the second quarter with the ball on its own 20-yard line and engineered an 11 play touchdown drive that ate up almost seven minutes of the quarter. The point-after was added and the Bulldogs' lead was cut to 20-7 but a comeback was not in the cards however as Iobbi took a pitch right from Blum on the first play of the next series and followed several punishing blocks by Clark en route to pay dirt and a 26-7 halftime lead. After trading possessions early in the second half, the Generals went a quick five play 78-drive to cut the score to 26-13 with1:43 left in the third quarter, but the Bulldogs ended any thoughts of a comeback with a six play 60-yard drive that ended with Clark's fourth touchdown, a 29-yard scamper off right tackle. The fourth quarter belonged to the defenses as Iobbi, T.J. Peck, Philip Ayoub, Charlie Callahan, Adam Pate and James Gordon all made big plays for the Bulldogs defense before James Loughran recovered a fumble on the 11-yard line on the game's final play the seal the victory and the championship.
The North Mianus Bulldogs Bantams defeated the Putnam Generals to win the GYFL Bantam Division Championship and end the Generals three year reign at the top. The Generals struggled to contain the Bulldogs explosive offense right from the start despite solid efforts by defensive end Josh Erickson and safeties Jack Barker and Cole Price. Despite being in a hole from the beginning, the Generals offense played an excellent game against the Bulldogs aggressive defense. Led by quarterback Jackson Trimmer, the Generals offense was able to sustain several long drives behind the tough, but undersized front line of James Westerberg, Alex Wada, Jake Cohen, Sawnie McGee, Malcolm Essaid, Erik Mini and Nick Mosher. The Generals running backs also did an excellent job clearing holes for each other with Reed Aaron, Patrick Feeley and Trent Newman providing several crushing blocks on the Bulldogs excellent trio of linebackers. After falling behind early, the Generals fought back near the end of the first half with Cole Hartley capping off a great drive with a touchdown and the ensuing extra point. Aedan Lewis also helped the Generals cut into the Bulldogs lead with a second half touchdown and several other long runs, but despite a great effort by all 30 Generals players, it was not enough to overcome the Bulldogs.

JUNIORS

Putnam Generals 19 Glenville Mavericks 0

The Generals defeated the Mavericks 19-0 to complete a perfect 10-0 season and win the GYFL Junior championship. The Generals who have the leagues #1 defense played another outstanding game and was led by the line of Rich Nellie, Brooks Lufkin, Scooter Harrington, Charlie Cobb, End Sam Barrett and Ryan Pasquali , Linebackers Kent Whitaker , Kyle Dunster and Tommy Rappa , and Safties Will Perry and Brett Hartley. After a score less first quarter the General offense took control of the game . The Generals backs of Dunster , Barrett, Rappa and Cobb all had big days behind the blocking of Dillion Daine , Peter Sweeney, Jackson Caputo , Nellie and Harrington . QB Kent Whitaker opened up the scoring with a 1 yard TD run giving the Generals a 6-0 lead. After a big hit by Will Perry and back to back sacks by Barrett and Harrington stopped the Mavericks . The Generals moved the ball down the field before Kyle Dunster hit paydirt by taking the ball off tackle for a 6 yards TD run giving the Generals a 12-0 half time lead. The Generals increased the led with a Sam Barrett pounding the ball in for a 2 yard TD run. The PAT run by end Hanley Frantz was good making the score 19-0 . Will Perry also had a fumble recovery and Nellie, Cobb and Pasquali were credited with a sack. Other players contributing to this years success were lineman Nick Bonanno, Thomas Glover, Jake Groves, John Hughes, Eddie Larkin, Sam Nance , Charlie Whiteley , Ends Ryan Hartford and Kyle Christensen, QB Will Christensen and backs Jack Mahon, Ryder Stahl, Brett Collins , Locke McGee, McKinley Frantz and Brendan Santini. The team was coached by Michael Dunster, Jim Perry, Jim Daine and Fred Christensen.
In a hard fought defensive battle, the Generals prevailed 19-0. The Mavericks defense played tough throughout the day, not giving up any big plays. The defense was led by Clay Jurkowitz, Tommy Fleming, Carlos Fernandez, James Granruth, Luca Gabriele, Colin Rosato, Fermin Moriaz, Harrison Cole, and Joe Lanni. The Mavericks running game of Alec Oropall and Tommy Rogan was effective, but could not break free from a strong Generals defense. Providing the blocking upfront were Wil Salomon, Jamie Cavataro, Joey Longo, Mike Sands, Mike Marzonie, John Clarke, and Andrew Kjorlien. The Mavericks coaches are proud of their Junior team that produced six wins this season after recording two last year.

SENIORS

North Mianus Bulldogs 24 Glenville Mavericks 0
The North Mianus Senior Bulldogs capped off an impressive 10-0 campaign with a 24-0 victory over the Glenville Mavericks Sunday at cold and windy Cardinal Stadium. The championship pitted the two teams most physical teams in the GYFL, having combined for ten shutouts on the season. As if scripted, both teams displayed punishing hits and gang tackling over the first couple of series. But after a Mavericks three and out, the Glenville punt fell into the waiting hands of Mark Bernstein who would follow a block from Tyler Swift to the outside, and after showing second effort, would break free down the sideline for the games first touchdown. Nick Bancroft, who would be perfect on extra points on the day, was able to convert the PAT for an 8-0 Bulldog lead. Hard hitting by a host of Bulldog tacklers, including Chris Manjuck, Tommy Kitt, Jack Wynne, Zach Mulhern and Sam Saleeby forced the Mavs to punt and pin the ‘Dogs deep in their own territory. Undaunted, Bernstein took a second and 10 from his own 12 yard line, turned the corner and galloped 88 yards behind a key lead block from Mulhern for the score and PAT to make it 16-0. The Bulldogs would get the ball right back in Glenville territory as Bancroft recovered a Maverick fumble. Quarterback Max Barefoot would lead the Bulldog offense and continue to move the chains behind the blocking of Justin Gaccione, Alex Benedict, Evan Borchetta and Jonathan Benedict before a key short yardage play would draw the Maverick defense to a right side fake before short yardage specialist J.P. Doyle cut to the left and rambled 21 yards for the third Bulldog touchdown and a 24-0 lead. The Bulldogs gang tackling and aggressive play would keep the Mavericks in check throughout the afternoon. With one last chance to put points on the board, the Mavericks began a drive that would put them inside the Bulldog 15 yard line. However, on a fourth and four, BrandtHipp would make a solo tackle and force a turnover on downs. After a later possession, a Manjuck fumble recovery on a Bulldog punt led to a final “kneel down” by the Bulldog offense to seal the victory and the championship.

GYFL Playoffs Week 10 11/16/08

BANTAMS

North Mianus Bulldogs 28 Cos Cob Crushers 14.

The North Mianus Bantam Bulldogs advanced to the GYFL Championship Game with a solid 28-14 victory over the Cos Cob Crushers Sunday at Cardinal Stadium. After exchanging possessions, North Mianus scored on the game's third series, an eleven play, 57 yard drive with Kevin Iobbi notching his first of three touchdown runs off right tackle from four yards out. Robert Clark took a pitch left from quarterback Nicky Blum on the successful point after to make it 7-0. The game continued to be tight until Christopher Loparco recovered a fumble at the beginning of the second quarter to set up the Bulldogs on four play drive that ended with an Iobbi 18 yard touchdown run. Iobbi was back in the end zone on the ensuing extra point conversion to make it 14-0. Then Iobbi took a pitch right and headed for the sideline, cut back and broke tackles en route to a 40 yard touchdown. Billy Nail notched the conversion, running up the middle from his quarterback position. The Bulldogs controlled the line of scrimmage throughout the first half as a host of blockers, led by Finbar Doyle, allowed the high powered North Mianus offense to score three times while C. J. Ginsberg and Charlie Calllahan anchored the defensive line with stops from Tyler Moran, James Loughran, Riley Howe and Philip Ayoub. Cos Cob started the second half with the ball but Clark forced a fumble with his quarterback sack on third and eight that was recovered by Adam Pate on the Cos Cob nine yard line. Michael McGrath carried the ball on the next play and went off left tackle, bounced outside and won the race to the pylon for a touchdown to take a commanding 28-0 lead. The Crushers got on the board in the fourth quarter, scoring touchdowns on their first two possessions, but North Mianus was then able to control the ball and eat up enough clock to put the game out of reach and reach the GYFL Finals for the second consecutive year against the Putnam Generals. The game opened up with neither team able to move the ball. The Crusher defense was lead by linebacker Walker Williams, end Pat Clisham and tackle Frank Alfano. Then the Bulldog offense took over, scoring on their next 3 possessions and opening up a 22 - O half time lead. The Crushers did not give up. The Crushers got on the board when Andrew Triscari ran off tackle for a 3 yd touchdown. The PAT was no good. Blocks by Matt Schnabel, Tyler Jester and Tate Huffman made the touchdown possible. After stopping the Bulldogs on their next possession, the Crushers took over and after strong runs by runningback Mike Ceci and quarterback Charlie Knight, runningback Bailey Ballone took the ball up the right side for a 40 yd touchdown run. Key blocks by Christian Novakowski, Dylan Boyd and Philip Raviele made the touchdown possible. The Crushers' Whit Knight converted the 2nd PAT, making the score 22 - 14 and giving a little life to the Crushers. The Bulldog offense went back into high gear, completing the scoring 28 -14, and ending the Crushers season.

Putnam Generals 12 BANC Raiders 6

The Putnam Generals Bantams pulled out a tough 12-6 victory over the BANC Raiders in the GYFL Semi-finals in yet another tense, hard-hitting defensive struggle between the two teams. The Putnam Generals were able to take an early 6-0 lead against BANC’s top-rated scoring defense. After forcing a punt on the Raiders first possession, the Generals scored quickly with Reed Aaron running for a 25 yard touchdown behind two devastating blocks by Alex Wada and Greyson Wolfram. The Generals defense took over from there led by Aedan Lewis, Patrick Feeley, Josh Erickson and Justin Zide, and the Generals took their 6-0 lead into the half. The Generals scored again on their first series of the second half with Cole Hartley punching it over the goal line from 8 yards out following key blocks by James Westerberg and Sawnie McGee. The Raiders then answered right back on a long pass play for a touchdown, but the Generals defense was able to stuff the Raiders’ extra point attempt as Jake Cohen, Peter Mullen, Ryan Mulshine and others combined on a gang tackle short of the end zone. After the Generals forced another Raiders’ punt and a turnover on downs, the Generals’ offense was able to close out the game with Jackson Trimmer orchestrating the game clinching drive behind the solid blocking of Nick Mosher, Blake Guerrieri and their linemates. After the Generals opening score, the Banc Raider defense tightened up and held the Generals scoreless for the rest of the first half including a goal line stand to end the half. The second half started the same way with the Generals scoring early on some nice runs by Aedan Lewis. The Raiders prevented the extra point and held the Generals scoreless for the remainder of the game. The Raiders also got on the scoreboard in the third quarter on a very well run half back pass from Jack O’Connor to James Day going 40 yards. A tremendous block enabling this play to work was thrown by Michael Reilly. The outstanding Raider defense which led the league in least points allowed was led up front by Ben Orszulak, Andrew Kelly, Peter Ryan, and Mathew Weller. Excellent linebacking was supplied by Jason Otis, Charlie Hansen, and James Huber. Strong support at safety was given by Jimmy Conti and JJ Hartwell who also recovered a fumble. Excellent effort on both sides of the line was given by Addison Muir and Jack Barter. Also contributing on offense was Harrison Popp, Mathew Morganti, and Tarquin Hansen.

JUNIORS

Glenville Mavericks 27 Cos Cob Crushers 20

The Mavericks won a thrilling overtime game when Tommy Fleming batted down a fourth down pass from the two yard line as the Crushers were looking to tie the score. The game was a hard fought contest which saw four lead changes. After a scoreless first quarter, the Mavericks got on the board first when Alec Oropall punched it in for a three yard touchdown. The PAT failed. The Crushers came right back and tied the score 6-6. On the Mavericks next possession, Tommy Rogan cut back and broke away for a 40 yard touchdown run putting the Mavericks up 14-6. The Crushers answered, scoring on the last play of the first half of a well-executed double reverse pass. With the PAT, the score was 14-14 at the half. After a scoreless third quarter, the fourth quarter would prove to be one for GYFL annals. After the Crushers scored to take a 20-14 lead, the two teams held each other on 4th and one stands. The Mavericks got the ball back on their own 40 with one timeout and just under three minutes on the clock. What resulted next was the Mavericks version of “The Drive.” Behind the blocking of an offensive line led by Joey Longo, who played the entire game with a broken thumb, and Wil Salomon, Jamie Cavataro, Carlos Fernandez, Mike Sands, Mike Marzonie, John Clarke and Andrew Kjorlien, the Mavericks used the pounding running of Oropall and the darts of Rogan to methodically drive down the field, resulting in Oropall diving in the end zone from four yards out with 00:00 on the clock. The Crushers stopped the potential game winning PAT. The Mavericks got the ball first in OT and Oropall ran it in and converted the PAT to put the Mavericks up 27-20. The Mavericks still had to hold the Crushers to preserve the win. The Mavericks defense was up to the task. Finishing off a strong day, the defense, behind Carlos Fernandez, Clay Jurkowitz, Colin Rosato, Luca Gabriele, James Granruth, Will Budkins, Johnny Pulitano, Fermin Moriaz, Harrison Cole and Joey Lanni, held the Crushers, setting off a wild celebration on the Mavericks sidelines. The Mavericks play the Generals for the Junior Championship on Sunday. After the Mavericks scored first, the Crushers answered right back with Jack Knight connecting for a 25 yard pass to Mike Sullivan, that put the Crushers on the 1 yard line. Two plays later Jordan Dubin knocked in a score. The PAT was no good. The Mavericks would score again and this time they made a two point conversion, making the score 14-6. But just before halftime, the Crushers pulled out a play that was perfect-- a hand off from Colin Ingraham to Jordan Dubin who pitched it to quarterback Jack Knight who threw the ball 40 yards to a streaking Jack Jones for a 50 yard touchdown pass. The two point conversion was good a Knight to Jones pass and at halftime the score was 14-14. There would be no scoring until late 4th quarter. Winston Minor ran in a 10 yard touchdown. The PAT was no good. With time running out the Mavericks came back and scored with 4 seconds to go. The PAT it was stopped, so the teams went to middle of the field for overtime. The Mavericks got the ball first and scored on third down. The extra point was good. The Crusher were not able to find the end zone. On offense, and defense the Crushers played great but came up a little short to an equally talented team.

Putnam Generals 19 BANC Raiders 0

The Generals played another outstanding game on Sunday with a 19-0 win over the Banc Raiders . Behind the big line of Rich Nellie, Scooter Harrington, Peter Sweeney, Dillon Daine and Jackson Caputo, the Generals opened up the scoring on a 5 yard touchdown run by Kyle Dunster . The PAT run by Sam Barrett was good giving the Generals a 7-0 lead. On the Generals next possession, Tommy Rappa had a 44 yard run to the Raider 1 yard line and on the next play he took the ball off tackle for the touchdown giving the Generals a 13-0 lead. Two plays later Charlie Cobb forced a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Kent Whitaker . Quarterback Whitaker then hit Sam Barrett with a touchdown pass making the score 19-0 . The defense played outstanding all day long and was led by the great play of the lineman Harrington, Caputo, Daine , Nellie , Larkin and Cobb along with ends Sam Barrett and Ryan Pasquali and linebackers Whitaker , Dunster (interception ) and Rappa. Safties Will Perry , Brett Hartley and Locke McGee also played well.The coaches also credited Jake Groves, Charlie Whitley and Sam Nance for their hard play. Despite great effort from Petey Agro, Thomas Dillinger and the rest of the BANC defense, the Generals scored first on a fourth and goal play from the two yard line. The Raider offense, led by Matt Marzulla, Peter Dunn and Peter O’Connor was able to move the ball but could not get into the end zone against a solid General’s defense. Mark Nielsen recovered a fumble for the Raiders and played well on offense and defense, as did Mitchell Nethercott, Brendan Cummins, Hayden Futch and Michael Tang. The Raider coaches praised the entire team after the game for improving throughout the year and finishing the season 2-2 to make the playoffs after an 0-4 start.

SENIORS

Glenville Mavericks 17 BANC Raiders 0

The Glenville Mavericks won their semi-final game 17-0 over the BANC Raiders. This was the Mavs sixth shutout of the season. QB Thomas Baietto opened the scoring with an 8 yard keeper, capitalizing on a fumble recovery by lineman Nick Ulanoff. The Maverick running game took over from there, controlling the ball and and field position throughout the game. Backs Matt Braccio and Vinny Hackett had strong runs. In the fourth quarter, Kevin Downs' long punt return set up Patrick Callahan's 25 yard field goal to put the Mavs up 9-0. On the next series, Baietto intercepted a BANC pass and returned it for the final touchdown. Linebackers Kyle Foote and Graham Savio and defensive back Jamie Paradise stymied the BANC offense throughout the game. Linemen Dan Claroni, Alex McGee and John Hayden dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. The Mavericks were able to capitalize on Raider turnovers and successfully able to keep their offense on the field. The game was much closer than the score may suggest. The Mavericks took a 6 to 0 lead into halftime with the Raiders still very much in the game. The Mavericks were able to pull away after converting a field goal in the fourth quarter to make it 9 to 0. During the final moments of the game the Mavericks added a touchdown off of an outstanding one handed interception and return.The Raider defense made several strong stands during the game. Key tackles were made by linemen Taylor Olmstead, Matthew Tate, Alex McMurray and William Heerdt. Cornerback Patrick McGinty and linebacker Cameron Gray also contributed with key stops. McMurray also contributed a 50 yard punt on special teams.

North Mianus Bulldogs 32 Cos Cob Crushers 22

The North Mianus Senior Bulldogs exploded out of the gates to a 24-0 first quarter lead and then never looked back in a 32-22 victory over the Cos Cob Crushers in the GYFL Senior Semifinals at Cardinal Stadium on Sunday. The Bulldogs offense started on defense as Zach Mulhern set the tone for the day by forcing a Crusher fumble that was recovered by Ryan Borchetta. The Bulldog offense then went to work and three plays later Mark Bernstein pounded it into the end zone from three yards out for a lead North Mianus would not relinquish. The extra point was good to give the Bulldogs an 8-0 lead before the Bulldog offense and Bernstein went back in business as the tailback steamrolled his way to a 32 yard touchdown run. Down two scores, the Crushers passing game began to work before a fumbled screen pass was recovered by Tom Kitt, setting Bulldogs offense Bernstein up again as he found the end zone one more time. Nick Bancroft would add his third conversion of the quarter to give the Bulldogs a 24-0 lead in the game’s first 10 minutes. Evan Borchetta, Christian Bray, Jack Nail, Phil Coons and an Andrew Bologna interception keyed a maroon and black defense in the first half that made big play after big play. The Bulldog offense was not done yet as, following a long Cos Cob touchdown pass, Bancroft was able to motor behind an army of blockers for a 72 yard touchdown run which made the score 32-8 at halftime. Special teams and defense ruled the second half as Justin Gaccione and Alex Benedict blocked kicks, Max Barefoot and Brandt Hipp patrolled the defensive backfield and Bancroft intercepted a pass that he returned 65 yards before stepping out at the Crushers 20 yard line. As the Bulldogs began to run the clock out, the Bulldog ground game took over with Joey Fedorko and Scott Sutton leading a pack of runners that ran ball effectively and keeping the Crusher high powered passing game off the field. A late Crusher touchdown would make the final 32-22 before the Bulldogs punched their ticket to the championship game. After giving up 32 points in the first quarter, the Crushers stayed focused and got right back into the game. QB Billy O'Malley threw a 50-yard strike to Shawn Dunster to open up the scoring. PAT by Bob Decker was good to close the gap to 32-8. With the defense regrouping and being led by Joe Kelly, Jimmy Knight, Tommy Capalbo, Marcus Cavini, Jon Fischer, Matt Wallace and David Wright, they were able to keep the Bulldogs out of the end zone for the entire second half. To open up the third quarter, O'Malley hit Knight on a 25 yard reception, Dunster on a 20 yard pass, a 15 yard run by Vincent Ferraro and then another pass completion to Knight for 25 yards brought the ball into Bulldog territory but an interception halted that long drive. Protection for O'Malley's passing was provided by the offensive line consisting of Michelangelo Federici, Decker, Tyler Triscari, James Harnett and Ryan Marks. The end of the third quarter saw the Crushers mount another long drive. O'Malley hit Dunster again on a 25 yard pass which brought the ball to midfield. Vincent Ferraro then scrambled 12 yards for another first down. O'Malley found Kelly open for another 50 yards which brought the ball to the Bulldogs 2 yard line. Punching it in from there was quarterback Knight. The PAT was good to tighten the game 32-16. The defense was still clicking led by Outside Line-Backer Vincent Ferraro, Safeties Andy Jarombek, Tucker McGarrity and Jack Benenson. After holding the Bulldogs on a fourth and one, the Crushers regained possession and O'Malley was back at work completing passes to Dunster for 20 yards, Ferraro for 10 yards and Kelly for a 48 yard touchdown. The coaches credited the team with never giving up after getting behind early in the game. The coaches also give kudos to Bo Kane, Ryan Kupferschmid, Sean Marks and Ari Spilo for their spirited play.

GYFL Week #9 11/9/08

BANTAMS

Putnam Generals 20 Glenville Mavericks 6

The Putnam Generals Bantams got back on the winning track by defeating the Glenville Mavericks 20-6 in tightly contested game to end the regular season. The Generals started with the ball and had a long, sustained drive that was capped off by 15 yard touchdown run by Cole Hartley behind solid lead blocks by Jake Cohen, Sawnie McGee and Malcolm Essaid. After the two teams traded fumbles on the next two possessions, the Generals had a strong defensive stand deep in Mavericks territory to force a Mavericks punt and set-up a short field for the Generals offense. Alex Wada led the way for the Generals defense with a big sack for an 8 yard loss and a hard tackle by Reed Aaron. The Generals then capitalized on the short field with Aedan Lewis scoring a touchdown. Patrick Feeley bulled over from the 5-yard line for the 2-point conversion shortly before halftime. On the Mavericks first possession of the second half, the Generals defense forced a fumble that was recovered by Brenden Whiteley setting-up a 32 yard touchdown run by Jackson Trimmer. Jack Barker, Josh Erickson, Blake Guerrieri, Justin Zide and Erik Mini contributed some solid tackles to the Generals’ strong defensive effort as the Generals were able to contain the Mavericks high-powered passing offense.After the Generals scored on their first drive, the Mavericks answered with a long drive which went deep into Generals territory but ended with a fumble recovery by the Generals. The Generals scored again in the second quarter to take a 14-0 lead at halftime. After the intermission, the Mavericks defense stiffened and held the Generals in check for most of the second half. The Generals scored their final touchdown following a Mavericks fumble at midfield. The Mavericks moved the ball well throughout the game on the ground and in the air, but once again turnovers stopped effective drives, with the Mavericks losing 3 fumbles on the day. The Mavericks touchdown came early in the 4th quarter when quarterback Nicky Henkel ran it in from 2 yards out. Throughout the game, Henkel completed several passes to favorite targets Jonathan Lore and John Esposito. The ground game featured strong runs by Robbie Lanni and Bailey Savio who ran behind the solid blocking of Ben Kraninger, Ian Pearson and Max Kilberg. The defense gave a strong effort all day and was led by the tackling of safety Ryan Carmichael. The defensive line worked hard behind the play of Lachlan Rosato, Carson Bednar, William Kolman, Charlie Zeeve and Alex Spitzer. Linebackers Owen Matthews, David MacGillivray made several key tackles throughout the game.

North Mianus Bulldogs 18 Riverside Gators 0

The North Mianus Bulldogs recorded their second consecutive shut out and completed its regular season with a perfect 8-0 record, defeating the Riverside Gators 18-0 at Cardinal Stadium on Sunday morning. Alex Bologna led the Bulldogs with two touchdown carries and Kevin Iobbi added another behind the blocking of the Bulldog offensive line including Jordan Larossa and C.J. Hayes. The Bulldogs were again balanced on both sides of the ball as the defense was led by stops from a host of tacklers including Iobbi, Daniel Ezquivel, Connor Butler, James Gordon, Christopher Loparco and Luc Ayoub. After stopping Riverside on the game's first possession, North Mianus scored immediately when Iobbi swept right and broke tackles before sprinting down the sideline for a spectacular 44 yard touchdown. The Bulldogs scored again on an eight play 40 yard drive capped by a Bologna one yard touchdown dive. North Mianus started the second quarter with a nine play 64 drive that took 5:18 off the clock and ended with a Bologna burst through the middle of the defense on a 25 yard touchdown run to cap the scoring. Both defenses then took over, including Bulldog highlights on touchdown saving tackles by Michael McGrath and Jessica Aselin and a key fumble recovery by Antonio DiLorenzo. Although the Gators were held scoreless, they did manage to put together several nice drives by the running of Anthony Ferraro Jr., Trystan Sarcone and Peyton Larkin. Anchoring the offensive line to open these holes was Chase Piro, Spencer Baxter and Kevin Jordan. In the last 3 minutes before the half, the Gators moved the ball 50 yards by dazzling runs by Mark Sunoo(17 yard run), Connor Weigold(33 yard run) and Mac Baxter. Providing the blocking was Christian Metzger, Jack Scanlan and Ryan Miles. The clock ran out on the Gators with the ball at the Bulldog 7 yard line. The Gator defense was led by Vijay Kadiyala & Anthony Ferraro Jr. with 4 tackles a piece. Alex Nanai, Chase Piro & Will Sturcke also contributed with solid defensive performance. Gator Danny Wurst recovered a Bulldog fumble. Coaches credit Miles VanDermeer and Timmy Miller with their spirited play.

BANC Raiders 7 Cos Cob Crushers 6

The BANC Raiders avenged an earlier loss to the Cos Cob Crushers by the identical score. In a tough defensive struggle, no team was able to move the ball consistently. The crucial point after was stopped by the Raiders. Neither team could move the ball successfully for the remainder of the first half and the third quarter. However, with five minutes to go in the game James Day broke lose for a 60 yard touchdown followed by the very important extra point by James Huber. The Raider defense was led by Ben Orszulak, Andrew Kelly, Addison Muir, Michael Riley and Jack O’Connor. Excellent linebacking support was led by Jason Otis and Charlie Hansen. Strong support on the offensive line was given by Aidan Munnelly, Carey Sweeney, Nicholas Daetwiller, Dylan Ehret, Aiden Reynolds, Seth Kim, and in the backfield Charles Courtenay. Finally at the 3:00 minute mark of the 2Q, the Crushers broke through with a sweep by QB Charlie Knight that put the ball down at the 3 yard line. And then RB Andrew Triscari ran it in for the touchdown. Key blocks by Christian Novakowski, Tate Huffman and Tyler Jester made the touchdown possible. The PAT by Baily Ballone was no good. This would turn out to be one of the critical plays of the game. The Crushers went into half time with a 6 - 0 lead. The third quarter was a defensive struggle with neither team moving the ball. The Crushers got an interception by DB Mike Ceci near the end of the 3rd quarter. With some positive momentum, the Crushers started a drive and-- on a key 4th down and 2 yds to go-- the Raiders made a great tackle stopped the Crushers. In the fourth quarter, a Raider running back took a hand off on the right side and ran 45 yds for the tying touchdown. The PAT was good and that was the difference in the game.

JUNIORS

Bulldogs 25 Riverside Gators 0

A pair of game ending sacks by Wyndsor Doyle and Jack Montesi helped the North Mianus Bulldogs complete the 2008 season, playing their best game on both sides of the ball to notch a 25-0 victory over the Riverside Gators at Cardinal Stadium. The Bulldogs sustained first half drives of 15 and nine plays that culminated with touchdown runs of two yards by Devin McGrath and six yards by Alex Loparco to take a 12-0 lead into the intermission. With time running out, Dylan Carroll caused a fumble to get the ball back in Bulldogs hands. The half ended on a 20 yard run by Frank Murray and six yard burst by Daniel Curley. The Bulldogs controlled the line of scrimmage on both side of the ball with Zachary Moran, Cole Korzendorfer and Christian Holmberg. The momentum carried into the second half as Jason Boothroyd took the ball 40 yards to pay dirt to make the score 18-0. Moments later the Bulldogs had the ball again and it took nine plays before McGrath hit Zach Noddin with a screen pass that he took for a touchdown before James Kitt burst through the line on the extra point to end the scoring. The Gator coaching staff was pleased with the great team effort displayed throughout the game. Special recognition was given to offensive linemen Niko Patrk, Chris Hann, Liam Quigley and Jack Weigold for their outstanding blocking. Addi Yost exhibited a determined running game . The coaches were complimentary of Nick Smoller’s strong passing game with a big 25 yard completion to Max Metalios. Additional recognition went to Ryan Lenihan and Kyle Gillick for their strong offensive play. The Gator’s defensive unit continued their strong year with exceptional plays by Will Logue, Tom Morgantini, Marco Pastore and James Dudzik. Tom Feda had an important fumble recovery which kept the Gator’s in the game. Slater Jones, John Rohrbach and Paul Williams provided great leadership on the field with their solid tackling.

Cos Cob Crushers 18 BANC Raiders 0

On the Crushers second possession, Jack Jones broke a 5 yard run and scored a touchdown. Midway through the second quarter, Jordan Dubin made a great interception and returned it 35 yards for the Crusher’s second touchdown. In the third quarter, Trevor Ingraham broke a 30 yard run to put the Crushers in position to score. Two plays later Lucas Perez ran it in for a 2 yard score. Other players that were recognized for good play on offense were Lucas Bell, Tom Bacon, Colin Ingraham, Ethan Ross, Mark Zohdy, and Tyler Jenkins. Jenkins had a huge block that helped spring a Nick Durvasula run. The whole defense played well with the following players noted for good play-- Carson Brennan, Adam Lamoureux, Jack Freiheit, Ian Bannon, Winston Minor, and Meghan Connors.Petey Agro recovered a fumble for BANC early on in Crusher territory, but Cos Cob’s defense kept BANC from scoring. BANC drove the field with some nice runs by Peter Dunn and Peter O’Connor behind nice blocking from Thomas Dillinger. Matt Marzulla made some nice plays for BANC in his first game at middle linebacker, and Nick Bozzuto and Tucker Calcano also played well for the Raiders.

Putnam Generals 19 Glenville Mavericks 6

The Generals closed out the regular season with a 19-6 win to improve their record to 8-0. After the defensive lineman Rich Nellie and Scooter Harrington stopped the Mavericks on 4th down, the Generals wasted no time and scored on a 3 yard touchdown run by Kyle Dunster. The PAT by Will Perry was stopped making the score 6-0 . The Generals increased their lead during the next possession with big runs by Tommy Rappa and Charlie Cobb which set up a 5 yard touchdown run by Sam Barrett . The PAT by Brett Collins was just short making the score 12-0 . The Generals final touchdown came on an outstanding 40 yard run by Charlie Cobb. The PAT run by McKinley Frantz was good making the score 19-0 . The offensive line of Peter Sweeney , Harrington, Nellie , Daine and Caputo were praised for their great blocking. The entire defense played outstanding the all day . They were led by LB Kent Whitaker , Kyle Dunster , Sam Barrett , Jackson Caputo, Dillon Daine , Ed Larkin, and Ryan Pasquali . The coaches also credited Brendan Santini, Tom Glover and Brett Hartley with their hard play.The Mavericks finished the regular season 5-3 and earned a playoff spot against the Crushers this Sunday. The teams split wins in their earlier two meetings. The Mavericks defense played tough against a strong Generals team. The defense was led by Johnny Pulitano, Billy Healey, James Granruth, Will Budkins, Fermin Moriaz, and Colin Rosato. Alec Oropall ran the ball hard all day scoring the Mavericks lone touchdown on the last play of the game. Blocking upfront was provided by Wil Salomon, Mike Sands, Steven Bozzuto, Mike Marzonie, John Clarke, Cris Cerza, and Alexander Buffone.

SENIORS

Cos Cob Crushers 12 BANC Raiders 6

With the offensive line of Bob Decker, James Harnett, Michelangelo Federici, Ryan Marks and Tyler Triscari, the Crushers were able to score first behind the running of Vincent Ferraro and David Wright. Wright then scampered into the end zone on a 15 yard run for the score. The defense-- led by Matt Wallace, Tucker McGarrity, Joe Kelly, Shawn Dunster, Vincent Ferraro, Marcus Cavini and Andy Jarombek, held BANC scoreless in the first half. The Crusher offense then went back to work and quarterback Billy O'Malley connected with Bo Kane on a 19 yard pass for the second touchdown. The defense played extremely well getting great tackles from Tommy Capalbo, Jack Benenson and Ari Spilo. Kelly caused a fumble which was recovered by Wallace. The defense stopped BANC on a goal line stand on the 10 yard line in the fourth quarter. And, as BANC was beginning to drive down the field in the final minute of play, Dunster came up with an interception to seal the victory.In the first half the Raiders offense led by Quarterback Steven Michaud was able to run the ball with backs Kelly Jay, Cameron Gray and Ned Oliver gaining most of the yardage. The offense, however, was unable to get into the end zone. The Raiders threatened early in the second half after an outstanding punt return by Adrian Coscia before the Crusher defense stopped the Raiders on the 20 yard line. The only Raider score came in the second half after Alex McMurray created a key turnover near midfield. Oliver then finished an 8 play drive with a 10 yard touchdown pass to Kyle Cruz. In the second half the Raider defense stiffened and did not allow a Crusher first down. Key tackles were recorded by linemen Taylor Olmstead, Matthew Tate, Aaron Hillman and McMurray.

Glenville Mavericks 30 Putnam Generals 0

The Glenville Mavericks concluded their season defeating the Putnam Generals with their 5th shutout of the year. Linemen Nick Ulanoff and Patrick Callahan and linebackers Graham Savio and Kyle Foote lead the defensive effort with strong performances by Alex Russell, Jack Harrison and Dan Gutman. The Maverick ground game controlled the line of scrimmage. Zack Simmel, David Fleming, Thomas Baietto and Joaquin Moraiz all had touchdown runs, with Callahan kicking three extra points. Offensive linemen Willy Rosato and Brian LeDebole consistently opened holes for Maverick runners.The Generals started off with a great drive that consumed much of the first quarter. Mike Longo and Jack Burke led the ground attack with Cole Perry passing the ball well. The offensive line of Parker Embree, Sam Bass and Rich Caputo paved the way, but the drive finally stalled on the 20. The Generals defense played well but the Mavericks wore down the Generals as the game progressed. The defense was led by the solid play of Christian Umana, Jack Harrington and Austin Krauss. Fine tackling was also shown by Austin Cantwell, William Evans and Stevie Lewis. The second half saw another good drive with the Generals picking up first downs behind the running of Danny Carr and the blocking of Jesse Adelberg and Francis Claps. The Senior Generals finished the game playing hard just as they did all season and showed great effort in their final game.

North Mianus Bulldogs 20 Riverside Gators 8

The North Mianus Bulldogs capped their first undefeated regular season with a 20-8 win over a tenacious Riverside Gator squad Sunday at Cardinal Stadium. Mark Bernstein scored on two first half sweeps leading the Bulldog offense to a 14-0 halftime lead. The North Mianus defense was strong throughout with Jonathan Benedict and Matt Alfano recording tackles and Nicky Bancroft and Sam Saleeby snagging Gator passes for interceptions. The second half featured hard running by Saleeby, Jack Nail, Ryan Borchetta and Andrew Bologna behind the blocking of Phil Coons, Jack Wynne and Guillermo Perez. It would be the defense that would ultimately put more points on the board, when lineman Chris Manjuck was able to recover a Gator fumble in the end zone before the Gators closed out the scoring with an 80 yard touchdown run.The Gator team may have lost every game, but they never gave up. They played with their hearts and left it all on the field. Not intimidated by the Bulldog’s first place ranking, the Gators came out fighting. The offensive line anchored by Mark Murphy, Darius Asgari, Ronnie Brock and Max Trudeau where able to provide the much needed time for Quarterback Robert Breck to pass to his receivers Michael Keating, Spaulding Tyler, and Greg McTeirnan. The highlight to the day was the 95 yard touchdown run by Michael Keating, who also kicked the extra point. Defensively, the Gators performance was outstanding. The Gator defense --lead by linebackers Jackson Bowen, Andres Lapadula and defensive backs Ryan Shack-- were able to shut down the Bulldogs on several drives. The interior line of Tommy Williams, Ben Jones and Bobby Walker were able to plug up the middle to stop the Bulldogs on a 4th and short turning the ball over to the Gators. Other notables were Ross Milani with a open field tackle to save a touchdown and Nick Schepis who was all over the field.

GYFL Week #8 11/3/08

BANTAMS

Cos Cob Crushers 14 Glenville Mavericks 0

In a game that was physcially a lot closer then the score indicated, the Crushers defeated the Mavericks 14 - 0. The game became a battle of defenses except for two plays. The Crushers scored on their second possession, when quarterback Charlie Knight ran up the middle for a 40 yard touchdown. The point after by Bailey Ballone was good. Key blocks by Tyler Jester, Tate Huffman and Frank Alfano made the touchdown possible. The Crushers were able to get the ball back when Jackson Fretty recovered a fumble at midfield. The Crushers took over with just under 5 minutes left until the half and ran Knight again up the middle. This time he went for a 35 yard touchdown run. The point after pass to Mike Ceci was good giving the Crushers a 14 - 0 lead. The rest of the game a was a defensive battle by two evenly matched teams. Great defensive plays were turned in by linebacker Walker Williams who lead the team with 10 tackles and Andrew Triscari who had 2 interceptions. Other key defensive standouts were Joe Fedele, Camron Dalton, and Charlie Russel. The Crushers are now 3 - 4 and trying to make the playoffs.After surrendering two first half touchdowns on long runs by the Crushers, the Mavericks defense stiffened and shut out Cos Cob in the second half. The Mavericks defense was led by Bailey Savio who made several great tackles and caused and recovered a fumble. Ian Pearson also had a big day on defense, playing tough on the defensive line and recovering a fumble. With Sam Goldberg anchoring the defense at middle linebacker and James McMachan, Matthew Roer, Alex Spitzer and Kai Thompsen on the line, the Mavericks were able to hold the Crushers in check for most of the game. Walter Stratton and Charlie Zeeve also made big plays for the Mavericks defense. On offense, the Mavericks moved the ball well throughout the game but failed to get into the end zone. Running back Bailey Savio ripped off a number of long runs behind the strong blocking of Lachlan Rosato, Ben Kraninger and Max Kilberg. The Mavericks connected on a number of passing plays as well with quarterback Nicky Henkel completing passes to Robbie Lanni, Jonathan Lore and Derek Santana.

Riverside Gators 7 BANC Raiders 6

The Riverside Gators played a hard fought game against the Banc Raiders and prevailed with a 7 - 6 victory. Banc scored in the second quarter, but Gator Peyton Larkin and Connor Weigold stopped the Banc extra-point. The Gators defense played hard all day and was lead by Weigold who had 6 1/2 tackles followed by hard hitting safety Vijay Kadiyala who had 5 tackles. Timmy Miller, Kevin Downey and Matt Logue also did a great job of containing the Raiders. On the offensive side of the ball the Kevin Jordan and Spencer Baxter opened holes for Mark Sunoo and Anthony Ferraro Jr. who set up a 1 yard touchdown for Trystan Sarcone who followed center Chase Piro up the middle. The go ahead extra point was good when Peyton Larkin crashed the line and bulled his way into the end-zone. Larkin and Nick Dagnino both recovered Banc fumbles to give the Gators great field position. Coaches credit Christan Metzger and Robert Bray for their fine play. The Banc Raiders lost a hard fought defensive struggle to the Riverside Gators with each team scoring one touchdown. The Raiders scored first, set up by a long run by Jack O’Connor. The extra point attempt was stopped short of the goal line by a strong Gator defensive stand. The Gators came back with a score of their own on fourth down followed by a successful extra point. The BANC Raiders held the Gators scoreless in the second half with strong tackling up front by Peter Ryan, Ben Orzulak, Andrew Kelly, Jack Lemone, Jack Barter, and Mathew Morganti. Several key tackles were made by the defensive backfield of Jason Otis, James Huber, JJ Hartwell, and Jimmy Conti. Making a significant contribution on both sides of the ball was Addison Muir. Also, putting forth significant effort were Cary Sweeney, Aiden Reynolds, Seth Kim, and Peter Cartine.

North Mianus Bulldogs 13 Putnam Generals 0

The North Mianus Bantam Bulldogs improved their record to 7-0 with a 13-0 victory over the Putnam Generals on Sunday at Greenwich High School's Cardinal Stadium. North Mianus featured a balanced, straight-forward offensive attack, led by running backs Kevin Iobbi, Robert Clark and Justin Sodokoff behind the offensive line that included key blocks by Thomas Benda, Glenn Niblo and Philip Ayoub. The always tough Bulldogs' defense continued to get solid play from the entire squad as they recorded their first shut out of the season, led by big plays from Adam Pate, Kirk Schultz, Jacob Noddin and Fisher Bray. The Bulldogs came out of the gates roaring as Iobbi took a 26 yard carry off right tackle on the very first play of the game and Clark followed by going off left tackle for 34 yards and a touchdown. Billy Nail then sneaked in from his quarterback position to convert the point after and make it a 7-0 Bulldog lead. After forcing the Generals to punt on the next possession, the Bulldogs scored again as Iobbi capped a seven play, 3 minute drive, with a 23 yard scoring run that completed the games’ scoring in the first quarter. The defenses then took over a game that was punctuated by a second quarter goal-line stand, in which the Bulldogs were able to deny the Generals pay dirt despite a first and goal on the four yard line. The Generals went to the air with time running down in the fourth quarter but a near sack by Glenn Saperstein and Clark were followed by an interception and 13-yard return by Nicholas Blum. After making their first extra point, the Bulldogs were stopped short on the attempt after their second touchdown when Alex Wada and James Westerberg got quick penetration and combined for the tackle in the Bulldogs backfield. The Generals had a chance to score late in the first half, but the Bulldogs defense was able to stop Patrick Feeley inches short of the goal line despite a tough inside run behind the blocking of Greyson Wolfram and Kyle Laufenberg. Nick Mosher, Trent Newman and Ben Frey also contributed some solid blocks earlier in the long drive. After the first two Bulldogs drives, the Generals defense stiffened and kept the Bulldogs out of the end zone led by the play of linebacker Blake Guerrieri, and defensive linemen Peter Mullen and Warren Bischoff. Chris Burdick, Cole Price, Sebi Cobb and Dylan Ellner also played very hard throughout the game and came up from their safety positions to make some solid stops for the Generals.

JUNIORS

Glenville Mavericks 25 Cos Cob Crushers 7

After grinding out three and four yard gains early in the first quarter against a tough Crusher defense, the Mavericks finally broke it open with a 30 yard pass play from Tommy Rogan to Clay Jurkowitz. A play later, Carlos Fernandez broke free on a 20 yard touchdown run to put the Mavericks up 6-0. The Crushers answered with a score of their own, and with the PAT, went up 7-6. The Mavericks countered with a well-executed drive culminating with an option pass from Alec Oropall to Jurkowitz for a 20 yard touchdown score resulting in a 13-7 halftime lead for the Mavericks. The second half was all Mavericks. The offensive line of Kieran Carroll, Andrew Purse, Alexander Buffone and John Clarke controlled the line of scrimmage resulting in a 20 yard touchdown run by Oropall and a 45 yard touchdown run by Rogan late in the fourth quarter to seal the game for the Mavericks. After giving up a score on the Crusher’s first possession, the Mavericks defense tightened the rest of the game to keep the Crushers out of the end zone. Strong performances were put in by Colin Rosato, Joe Lanni, Oliver Warren, Reid Robbins, Cris Cerza, Duncan Jurkowitz, and Luca Gabriele. The Mavericks improved to 5-2 on the season.

BANC Raiders 28 Riverside Gators 6

The Raiders scored on their first drive when Peter O’Connor ran the ball into the end zone behind blocks from Dongju Lee and Petey Agro. Thomas Dillinger hauled in a pass from Peter Dunn for the extra point to put the Raiders up 8-0. The Gators came right back with a long touchdown run, but the BANC defense held on the extra point attempt to make the score 8-6. Dillinger caught a pass from Dunn and kept his feet inbounds in the end zone for BANC’s second touchdown, with Matt Marzulla adding the extra point to make it 15-6 at the end of the 1st half. At the start of the second half Dillinger again came up big for the Raiders, recovering a fumble in Gator territory. On the ensuing drive Peter O’Connor ran thirty yards for his second touchdown of the day to put BANC up 21-6. BANC’s defense was tough all day, with Jack Martin and Andrew Marinaccio making tackles and Matt Marzulla grabbing an interception to stop one Gator drive. Peter Dunn intercepted a pass in the 4th quarter and ran it back 50 yards for the Raiders’ fourth touchdown of the day, and Tucker Calcano added the extra point behind a nice block from Michael Beninati to finish the scoring at 28-6. Michael Fahy, Mark Nielsen and Ryan Eskierski also played well in the Raider victory. The Junior Gators opened their first offensive series with a 80 yard touchdown run by quarterback Robert Roberbach behind the blocking of lineman Niko Patrk and Jack Weigold. Running backs Marco Pastore , Sean Doherty and Slater Jones contributed to the Gator's offense with many positive yard runs from scrimmage. The Gators also displayed its passing game with 15 yard completion from Robert Rohrbach to tight end Max Metalios. Nick Smoller received kudos from the coaching staff for his passing and running performance at quarterback. The coaches also recognized offensive lineman Bradly Galvin and Liam Quigley for their blocking efforts. The Gator defense was lead by the play of defensive back Kyle Gillick and defensive lineman Will Pettinato. Late in the 2nd quater Luke Bienstock caused a fumble and was recovered by Tom Morgantini. The coaches were pleased with the defensive play of Will Logue, James Dudzik and Tripp Smith.

Putnam Generals 14 North Mianus Bulldogs 0

Led by the big line of Rich Nellie, Dillon Daine, Jackson Caputo and Scooter Harrington, the Generals only needed 4 plays to open up the scoring. After a good run by Charlie Cobb, Kyle Dunster took the ball from quarterback Kent Whitaker and scored on a 22 yard run. The PAT run by Will Perry was good to make the score 8-0 . The Generals increased their lead to 14-0 on their next drive. Sam Barrett led the way with 3 carries before he scored on a 12 yard touchdown run. The coaches also credited McKinley Frantz and QB Will Christensen with some good runs. The Generals defense played another outstanding game to record their 4th shutout of the season. The defense was led by lineman Nellie and Harrington along with linebackers Whitaker and Tommy Rappa. Also credited with making big plays were Brett Hartley , Locke McGee , Ryder Stahl and Jack Mahon .The North Mianus defense played hard throughout, led by Corey Bancroft, David Steinberg, Jack Montesi and Brandon DelCristo. In addition, the hard hitting Bulldog defense jarred three fumbles loose that were recovered by Emmett Witmer, Jeremy Brown-Brugo and James Kitt. Despite not scoring, the Bulldog offense played moved the ball well as Zach Noddin, Alex Loparco and Witmer ran strong behind the blocking of the Maroon and Black line including Justin Montier, Thomas Uhl and Wyndsor Doyle. In the second half, the Bulldogs offense included Witmer completing a pass in the flat to Liam Nelson to keep a long drive alive. The Bulldogs dedicated the game to the injured Casey Benda, who received the game ball.

SENIORS

BANC Raiders 28 Riverside GATORS 0

The Banc Raiders used a solid ground game, turnovers and a few big plays to defeat the Riverside Gators on Sunday 28 to 0. Leading the rush for the Raiders were backs Kyle Cruz, Cameron Gray, Kelly Jay, LJ Ambrogio and Caleb Meath. Linemen Matthew Tate, William Heerdt and William Cecio provided great blocking to set up opportunities for the Raider Backs. Cruz scored two touchdowns, with one coming on a 33 yard run and the other on a 13 yard pass thrown by Meath. Gray scored on a 1 yard rush in the fourth quarter to convert on a drive started by a Kelly Jay interception. The most exciting score of the day came during the opening drive of the game when defensive tackle Taylor Olmstead scored after intercepting a pass he tipped and then returned 42 yards for the score. On defense, Eli Pagnani intercepted a half back pass in the third quarter and Alex McMurray contributed several important tackles from his defensive tackle position. While the scoreboard read in favor of the Raiders, the Gators played extremely well. The team that showed up Sunday was a much more mature team and ready to take on the Raiders. Unlike the first meeting, the Gator offense was able to move the ball through the air with key passes from Robert Breck to Michael Keating for several first downs. The Gator running game was lead by Jackson Bowen, Andres Lapadula and Ryan Shack. While the Gators were unable to put the ball in the end zone, the offense played with true grit. The real highlight to the Gators performance was the entire defense only allowing one first half score. On several occasions the Gators held the Raiders on 3 and 4th downs forcing the Raiders to punt or lose the ball. Key hits by Thomas Williams, Bobby Walker, Ronnie Brock, and Nick Schepis helped turn the ball over. Robert Breck recovered two fumbles, Keating and Jackson Bowen made many tackles all over the field. Coaches credit Jimmy Bell, Ross Miliani and Henry Taylor for their fine play.

Cos Cob Crushers 16 Glenville Mavericks 6

On the Mavericks first possession, Tyler Triscari recovered a fumble caused by linebacker Joe Kelly. With great field position, runs by Vincent Ferraro and David Wright took the ball down to the 1 yard line. Quarterback Billy O'Malley did the rest, punching it in for the score. The PAT by Bob Decker was good. Doing an excellent job of holding the Mavericks on their next couple of possessions were defensive linemen Jon Fischer, Ari Spilo, Triscari and Marcus Cavini. The Crushers next score came from a 65-yard pass from O'Malley to Kelly who made a dramatic juggling catch and ran it the rest of the way. This was set up with a great run by Wright. The PAT was good bringing the score to 16-0. Defensive backs Shawn Dunster, Andy Jarombek, Jack Benenson and Tucker McGarrity along with linebackers Kelly, Ferraro, Wright and Ryan Marks came up with imely hits and tackles. Great punting by Decker kept the Mavericks well inside their own territory and also gave the Crushers good field position throughout the game. Bo Kane had a terrific 25 yard reception from quarterback Vincent Ferraro. Spilo was also credited with a fumble recovery in the 2nd quarter. Hampered by turnovers and penalties, the Mavericks still put forth a strong effort against the Crushers. Linemen Jack Citron, Ian Brown, Alex Cole and Griffin Savio led a second half rally capped by Matt Braccio's touchdown run. Backs Vinny Hackett and Kevin Downs added important runs. Nick Pulitano made several clutch tackles on special teams while Jamie Paradise stopped a Crusher drive with a key interception.

North Mianus Bulldogs 20 Putnam Generals 0

It took only three plays for the North Mianus Senior Bulldogs to score against the Putnam Generals when Mark Bernstein swept around right end and galloped 53 yards to the end zone en route to a 20-0 victory Sunday at Cardinal Stadium. Nick Bancroft’s extra point was good and the Bulldogs led 8-0. The second Bulldog series also yielded points behind the strong blocking of Alex Benedict, Justin Gaccione and Christian Bray when, on a second and goal from the General’s seven yard line, Bancroft would find pay dirt to put the Dogs up 14-0. The Bulldog defense was stout throughout the day with Jonathan Benedict, Guillermo Perez, Phil Coons, and Tyler Swift leading a squad that limited Putnam to only four first downs during the game. A fumble recovery and return was recorded by Tommy Kitt who rumbled deep into Generals territory. Quarterback Joey Fedorko led the Bulldog offense with running backs Jack Nail, Andrew Bologna and Ryan Borchetta, who had a 35 yard run and set up game captain J.P. Doyle to punch it in for the Bulldog’s final score of the day. The Generals offense showed some spark early moving the ball behind some fine passing from Cole Perry and a good ground game behind the solid ball carrying of Mike Longo, Jack Burke and Danny Carr. After falling behind after a couple of quick scores by the Bulldogs the defense settled in with the front line of Rich Caputo, Sam Bass and Parker Embree applying pressure and slowing down the powerful Bulldog attack. The Generals secondary did a nice job taking away the deep pass with Stevie Lewis, Austin Cantwell and William Evans all turning in strong efforts. The second half saw the Generals threaten and move the chains for several first downs behind the blocking of Kendrick Pozo, Hunter Frantz and Billy Lewis. The coaches also cited Austin Krauss and Christian Umana for some outstanding tackling and defensive play.

GYFL WEEK #7 10-26-08

BANTAMS

BANC 12 Mavericks 0

The BANC Raiders played their most complete team game of the season defeating the Glenville Mavericks 12 – 0. The offense had a number of significant drives throughout the day having three scoring chances stalled by penalties. The running was led by Michael Reilly, Mathew Morganti, and JJ Hartwell. All made possible by excellent blocking up front by Tarquin Hansen, Jack Lemone, Harrison Popp, Carey Sweeney, Dylan Ehret and in the backfield Charles Courtenay. The defense reacted well to an excellent passing attack through numerous defensive surges led by Ben Orzulak (with a recovered fumble) and Andrew Kelly. The defensive backfield was led by James Huber and Jimmy Conti. Also, making significant contributions were Aiden Reynolds, Aidan Munnelly, and Seth Kim. Penalties and turnovers proved to be difficult obstacles for the Mavericks to overcome as its offense never got on track against the very tough Raider’s defense. The Mavericks kept the game close, however, with a strong defensive effort. The Mavericks offense played hard and never gave up. Leading the blocking on the line were Alex Spitzer, William Kolman, George Taylor, Jack Mckeefry. Running behind the efforts of the line were backs Walter Stratton and William George. The Mavericks defensive effort was strong, led by the play of Ian Pearson, Carson Bednar, James Budkins, Charlie Zeeve and Sam Goldberg. The Mavericks got great effort as well from David MacGillivray, Matthew Roer and Babe Shelbred.

Generals 18 Gators 6

The Putnam Generals defeated the Riverside Gators in a well-played struggle between the neighborhood rivals. The Gators started with the ball and looked like they were about to take an early lead until Generals safety Jack Barker made a touchdown saving tackle on the game’s third play. The Generals defense stiffened from there. The Generals then took their first possession and marched down the field behind the solid blocking of Sawnie McGee and Malcolm Essaid and capped it off by a tough 10-yard touchdown run by Cole Hartley. The Generals defense came through again on the Gators next possession led by some great plays by Josh Erickson and Alex Wada who both played excellent games, and strong safety play by Sebi Cobb and Chris Burdick. On the Generals next possession, Reed Aaron broke several tackles en route to a 50-yard touchdown led by a key block by Ben Frey. The Generals extra point attempt failed as the Gators line got good penetration to tackle Patrick Feeley despite a determined effort. The Generals were able to close out the first half with a late touchdown by Aedan Lewis. The touchdown and a key third down conversion both were led by excellent blocks by Greyson Wolfram. Eric Hadley had a bruising run but came up inches short of the goal line on the extra point attempt to leave the score at 18-0 going into the break. The Gators were able to keep the Generals off the scoreboard in the second half and scored a touchdown before Ryan Mulshine came up with a key stop on the Gators extra point attempt to preserve the 18-6 lead for the Generals.
The Gators had a tough time holding their blocks against the Generals but were able to put together some impressive drives. Behind the blocking of Alex Tucker, Mac Baxter and James Cassidy, running back Trystan Sarcone had some dazzling runs. Also blocking well on the front line was Ryan Miles, Jack Scanlan and James Hopper. Nick Dagnino scored on a 34 yard touchdown run and received a key block from tight end Will Sturke. The Gator defense was lead by Peyton Larkin, Anthony Ferraro Jr. and Sarcone. Other Gator defensive highlights, Spencer Baxter had 2 key sacks on 4th down plays, Alex Nania recovered a General fumble for the Gators. Danny Wurst stopped a General extra point attempt. Coaches credit Miles VanDermeer and Mark Sunoo for there fine effort on the field.

Bulldogs 22 Crushers 14

The North Mianus Bulldogs used a solid ground game and stingy defense to extend their record to 6-0 Sunday with a 22-14 victory over the Cos Cob Crushers Sunday at Greenwich High School. The Bulldogs were led by a host of ball carriers including Robert Clark, Nicholas Blum and Michael McGrath who followed blocks from the Maroon and Black line including Kirk Schultz, Corey Bancroft and Thomas Price. The Bulldogs' defense was led by T.J. Peck, Daniel Ezquivel, Christopher Loparco, who also recovered a fumble and fourth quarter touchdown saving tackles by Christopher Stitch and Riley Howe. North Mianus started the scoring with Kevin Iobbi bursting eight yards off right tackle about midway through the first quarter and was followed by an Alex Bologna run up the middle for the extra point. Cos Cob answered two plays later with a 56 yard touchdown run, but was stopped short of converting the point after. On the next play from scrimmage, the see saw continued as Iobbi swept right and was off down the sideline on his 60 yard touchdown run. Blum then bootlegged right for the conversion and it was 14-6. After forcing a Cos Cob punt on the ensuing series, the Bulldogs culminated a 40 yard, seven play drive with another Iobbi touchdown, an eight yard run up the middle. Clark added the two-point conversion, sweeping left from the five yard line to make it 22-6. The defense for both sides stiffened in the second half and there was no scoring until the game's final drive when Cos Cob finished ran off an eight play drive and added the two point conversion to make the final 22-14.The Crushers score two touchdowns in the game. On the first touchdown, Baily Ballone ran it in with blocks from Pat Clisham, Walker Williams and Tyler Jester in first quarter. Andrew Hollander came up big on defense by recoverying a fumble to stop the Bulldog momentum late in the second quarter. The last Crusher touchdown came in the fourth quarter by Charlie Knight with great blocking from Frank Alfano and Tate Huffman.

JUNIORS

Crushers 19 Bulldogs 6
On the Crushers first play on offense, Jordan Dubin broke a 41 yard touchdown run to give the Crushers a 6-0 lead. On the Crushers next drive , Jack Knight completed a 10 yard touchdown pass to Jack Jones. The Bulldog’s trimmed the lead to 12-6 at halftime, with a 60 yard interception and score. It was a defensive battle until late in the fourth quarter when Winston Minor broke off a 30 yard touchdown run. Sean Weaver paved the way with three blocks down field. Trevor Ingraham ran in the PAT from 12 yards out (penalty). Other players that contributed on offense were Brendan Boyd, Tyler Jenkins and Nicholas Vargas. Colin Ingraham and Jack Jones also helped the offense with good running on the day. On defense Peter Delepine, Tom Bacon, and Michael Sullivan were credited for good play.The North Mianus Bulldogs fell behind early but played a solid final three quarters before falling to the second place Cos Cob Crushers. The Crushers scored two early touchdowns despite the defensive efforts of Jason Boothroyd and Matt Lodato, stopping a reverse, and Tyler Saleeby registering a hit during the series before the Crushers threw a touchdown pass for a 12-0 lead. The Bulldog offense had a 10 play drive in the first half behind strong blocking from Thomas Uhl and Brendin Mulhern, but they couldn’t convert on a third and long and punted. On the following Crushers drive Zach Noddin stepped in front of a pass in the flat, intercepted it and returned it the distance for a Bulldog touchdown. The Bulldogs maintained the momentum into halftime as they stopped the Crushers on three yard line as the second quarter ended. The Crushers started the second half with the ball and ran a strong series of plays but the Bulldog defense rose to the occasion with several gang tackles from Will Graham, Christian Holmberg and Zachary Moran. Cole Korzendorfer, Lucas Dell’Abate and Daniel Curley also made key stops for the Bulldogs. The rest of the game became a battle of defenses with the Crushers notching a final touchdown to secure the win.

Generals 25 Gators 0

The Generals improved to a 6-0 record by defeating the Gators 25-0. Blocking by Peter Sweeney, Jackson Caputo, Scooter Harrington and Rich Nellie allowed the Generals to score on their first play. Kyle Dunster’s 25 yard touchdown run was set up by a Dillon Daine’s fumble recovery. The PAT run by McKinley Frantz was stopped short making the score 6-0 . Tommy Rappa scored on a 7 yard touchdown run. The PAT run by Will Perry was stopped making the score 12-0 . The Generals increased their lead with a great 30 yard touchdown run by Dunster. The PAT run by Brett Collins was good to make the score 19-0 . The Generals final score came on a long 50 yard run by Ryan Pasquali . The Generals outstanding defense was lead by Ryan Hartford ( fumble recovery ) and Sam Barrett ( interception ) . The coaches also credited Nick Bonanno, John Hughes and Hanley Frantz for their hard play.
Despite scoring no points, the Gator's offensive ground game was very productive. Running backs Marco Pastore and Luke Bienstock lead the charge with numerous runs for positive yards. Wing back Mitchel Bowen also contributed to the Gator's running attack and provided key blocks throughout the game. The blocking upfront came from lineman Tripp Smith, Jack Weigold and Max Metalios. The coach's also recognized center Chris Hann and offensive guard Tom Morgantini for their leadership and aggressive play. The Gator defensive was lead by linebackers Paul Willliams and James Dudzik who both lead the team in total tackles. Defensive end's Kaelan Gillick and Joe De Muyt contributed to the strong defensive performance with many tackles behind the line of scrimmage. The coach's also gave kudos to Nick Oram and Chris Keller for their spirited play.

Mavericks 26 BANC 13

The Mavericks improved to 4-2 after a hard fought victory over BANC. In the first quarter, Carlos Fernandez broke free on a 45 yard run. A play later, Alec Oropall punched it in from the 1 yard line for the first of his three touchdowns on the day. Later in the first quarter, Oropall sprinted 25 yards for another touchdown. The Mavericks drove the ball to close out the first half culminating in a 4 yard Oropall touchdown run. The teams traded possessions in the second half with the Mavericks gaining their last score on a 50 yard touchdown run by Tommy Rogan. Strong blocking up front was provided by James Granruth, Wil Salomon, Mike Sands, Michael Marzonie, and Colin Rosato. The defense was led by Luca Gabriele, who on one series tackled the quarterback before the handoff on four consecutive plays. Other standouts on defense include Tommy Fleming, Clay Jurkowitz, Joey Longo, Harrison Cole, Fermin Moriaz, Will Budkins, and Dylan Misisco. After the Mavericks jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the first quarter, the Raider offense came back to score and make it 13-6 on a long touchdown run by Peter Dunn. On defense the Raiders tried to hold back a strong Maverick running game with Peter O’Connor, Petey Agro and Jack Martin making tackles. Thomas Dillinger and Matt Marzulla also played a strong defensive game, helping to slow the Maverick attack. In the fourth quarter, trailing by three scores, the BANC offense tried to mount a comeback with Dunn and Tucker Calcano moving the ball into the Mavericks end of the field. A pass from Dunn to Dillinger got the Raiders inside the 10, and on the next play Dunn hit Marzulla for a touchdown pass. O’Connor ran the ball in for the extra point to make the score 26-13. Robert Lemone, Parker Grayson, Brendan Cummins and Whit Kim were also credited for their performance in the game by the Raider coaches.

SENIORS

Mavericks 6 BANC 0

The Mavericks posted another shutout on the way to a 6-0 win. Quarterback Thomas Baietto capped a long drive with a touchdown run to close out the first quarter. The Maverick offense was paced by blocking from end Dan Gutman and tackles Charlie Pfeifer and Brian LeDebole and strong runs by Zach Simmel. The game turned into a classic defensive struggle. Maverick linemen Dan Claroni, Alex McGee and Nick Ulanoff stopped Raider runners while linebackers Kyle Foote and Graham Savio made key tackles. Defensive backs Jamie Paradise and David Fleming held the Raiders without a completion, with Fleming intercepting a Raider pass late in the game. All of the scoring occurred in the first quarter when the Mavericks scored on their opening drive. The PAT was blocked and the score remained 6-0 for the rest of the game. Both defenses played well with the Mavericks being strong all day and the Raider defense holding when the Mavericks drove deep into Raider territory. Turnovers played a key role in the game as the Raiders turned the ball over four times and the Mavericks turned it over once. Aaron Hillman recovered a fumble for the Raiders after a Raider punt early in the second quarter. Several times throughout the game the Raiders defense held when the Mavericks broke deep into Raider territory. Key plays tackles and stops were made by linemen Alex McMurray, Mathew Tate, Taylor Olmstead , and Will Heerdt. Raider linebackers Ned Oliver, Caleb Meath, Cameron Gray, and Kelly Jay also made key tackles throughout the game.

Bulldogs 24 Crushers 16

The North Mianus Senior Bulldogs ran their record to 6-0 Sunday with a 24-16 win over the Cos Cob Crushers at Greenwich High School. The Bulldogs jumped on the board quickly as they capitalized on a Zach Mulhern fumble recovery in the Crushers’s backfield on their first play from scrimmage. It took only one offensive play for the Bulldogs to convert the turnover into points as quarterback Max Barefoot, operating out of the shotgun, hit Nick Bancroft for a 30 yard touchdown. Strong defense by linemen Matt Alfano and Jonathan Benedict and defensive backs Guillermo Perez, Ryan Borchetta, Brandt Hipp and Sam Saleeby would force the Crushers to punt on their next series. Mark Bernstein then took a punt and broke it outside where he raced down the sideline for a 60 yard score. The extra point was good and the Bulldogs were back on top 16-8. The score would remain the same after both teams traded possessions before time ran out on the half. The second half would open with the Bulldogs moving the ball up the field. On a third and 25 play, Bernstein would score again with a gallop to the end zone from 40 yards out. After another Bancroft extra point, the Bulldogs had a 24-8 lead. In the fourth quarter, the Crushers put together a 12 play drive that ended with a quarterback sneak from the goal line. Their point after was good, and the score stood at 24-16. The Bulldogs would then take over and began winding down the clock as fullback J.P. Doyle kept the chains moving. The game ended with the Bulldogs taking a knee to secure their sixth victory of the season.After a quick score by the Bulldogs, the Crusher defense tightened up, led by Marcus Cavini, Joe Kelly and Bob Decker. On the Crushers second possession, they capped off a nice drive with a 60-yard touchdown which saw David Wright cut through defenders and sprinting to the end zone. The first of two PATs by Decker was good to knot the score 8-8. On the Bulldogs next possession, the Crusher defense came up with big plays by Jimmy Knight and Ryan Kupferschmid causing the Bulldogs to punt. In the second quarter, after giving up a Bulldog punt return for a touchdown, the Crushers found success moving the ball, thanks to the solid blocking of offensive linemen James Harnett and Ryan Marks. With starting quarterback Knight out with an injury for the balance of the game, Billy O'Malley came right in and played extremely well connecting with Kelly for a 25 yard gain. With minutes left in the half, the Crusher defense held the Bulldogs in check as they tried to score with excellent tackling by Shawn Dunster, Bo Kane, Ari Spilo and Andy Jarombek. The second half saw the Crusher defense controlling the line of scrimmage holding the Bulldogs to minimal yards on their next two possessions. A beautiful punt return by Wright was called back on a penalty but the Crushers still managed to find the end zone. Quarterback O'Malley bulled his way in for the score.

Generals 16 Gators 14

The Putnam Generals edged out the Riverside Gators in the Senior Division by a score of 16-14. The Generals started the game being able to move the ball early with some fine running by Danny Carr and Jack Burke behind the blocking efforts of Steve Lewis, Kendrick Pozo and Parker Embree but were forced to punt after penalties stalled the drive. The defense held the Gators high powered passing attack with pressure being brought by Francis Claps, Rich Caputo and Jack Harrington and got the ball back. The Generals found the end zone in the second quarter on a nice pass play from Mike Longo to Billy Lewis. Jess Adelberg split the uprights for an 8 to 0 lead. The Gators answered with a long pass for a TD and were threatening again before the half when Austin Krauss picked off a sideline pass and ran it back to the 5 yard line as the first half expired. Ball control was the key to the second half with the Generals putting together a fine drive sparked by Cole Perry and ending up with a touchdown by Longo behind Sam Bass and Hunter Frantz. Adelberg added the extra point for what would end up being the winning points. The secondary for the Generals really came through against the Gators passing with fine play in the defensive backfield from William Evans, Jonathan Mulhrad, and Christian Umana. Despite losing by only two points, the Gators played their hearts out. Timmy Metzger played with reckless abandonment making many game saving tackles forcing the Generals into several punting situations. The offense played liked seasoned veterans. Lead by the blocking of Darius Asgari, Ronnie Brock, Max Trudeau and Gardy Lebon, quarterback Robert Breck was able to move the ball through the air finding his receivers Tyler Spaulding and Gerg McTiernan --who scored on a 44 yard touchdown pass in the 2nd quarter. A key turning point in the 4th quarter came when Ben Jones recovered a General fumble. That set up a Michael Keating 57 yard touchdown reception. Keating then made Gator history when he nailed the extra point throw the uprights for the first kicking extra point. The PAT made it a game at 16 - 14. The Gators were also able to move the ball with the punishing running of Ryan Shack, Andres Lapadula, and Parker Shack. The Gators defense swarmed on every play delivering hard hits and recorded many tackles in the General backfield, lead by Jackson Bowen, Nick Schepis. Breck knocked down two General passes.

GYFL WEEK #6 10-19-08

BANTAMS

Generals 33 Crushers 13

The Putnam Generals earned a hard-fought 33-13 victory over the Cos Cob Crushers. The Generals were able to break on top 6-0 as Jackson Trimmer plowed into the end zone early. The ensuing extra point attempt was unsuccessful. Later in the first half, the Crushers scored to take a 7-6 lead. The Crushers then had a valiant goal line stand at the end of the half to maintain the edge at intermission. The Generals came out firing after the break and regained the lead on two touchdown runs by Aedan Lewis. Cole Hartley and Reed Aaron added the extra points to push the score to 21-7. After the Crushers answered back, Hartley scored a touchdown for the Generals to make the score 27-13. The Crushers defense got good penetration to deny the extra point attempt by Generals halfback Jack Barker. James Westerberg recovered a fumble on the Crushers next possession leading to a quick score for the Generals as fullback Eric Hadley had a nice run through the heart of the Crushers defense to set-up a strong touchdown run by Generals scatback, Cole Price. Despite a determined effort, Sammy Jenkins came up inches short of the goal line on the extra point attempt. The Generals defense closed out the game from there led by Erik Mini’s sack and strong tackles by Peter Mullen, Ryan Mulshine, Justin Zide, Trent Newman and Dylan Ellner. Early on, the Crushers took over at their own territory. After two solid runs by QB Charlie Knight, running back Baily Ballone broke free down the right side for a 30 yard touchdown. The point after attempt by Andrew Triscari was good and the Crushers led 7-6. On the second play of the 3rd quarter, the Generals broke free for a 60 yd touchdown run. The two point PAT was good and the Generals lead 14 - 7. After the Generals scored again, The Crushers were able to go on a 10 play drive that culminated in a 15 yard touchdown run by RB Mike Ceci. Good blocking by Christian Novakowski, Tate Huffman, Tyler Jester and Pat Clisham, made the touchdown possible. The Crushers were unable to keep the game close. The Generals scored on their final two possessions. Solid defensive efforts by Crushers Jackson Fretty, Sean Puente, Henry Saleeby and Andrew Hollander were no match for the Generals offense.

Mavericks 20 Gators 19

The Mavericks got their first win of the season with an exciting 20-19 victory over the Gators. It was a total team effort for the Mavericks on both offense and defense. The Mavericks opened the scoring in the second quarter when Robbie Lanni powered into the end zone from 2 yards out. The scoring drive featured a 30 yard pass completion from quarterback Nicky Henkel to Jonathan Lore to convert a 4th and 1 situation which kept the drive alive. The Mavericks second touchdown came on a 30 yard pass completion from Henkel to receiver John Esposito. Esposito then ran in the extra point to tie the score at 13-13 at the half. The Mavericks winning touchdown came in the 3rd quarter when Henkel and Esposito connected again, this time on a 40 yard touchdown pass. Lore punched in the extra point which gave the Mavericks a 20-13 lead heading into the 4th quarter. The Mavericks offensive line did a great job blocking all day, led by Ian Pearson, Ben Kraninger, Lachlan Rosato, James McMachan and George Taylor. On defense, the Mavericks were led by Owen Matthews who caused two fumbles which were recovered by Bailey Savio and Pearson. A defensive highlight came in the second half when Babe Shelbred made a solo tackle in secondary on 4th down which stopped the Gators’ drive and prevented a potential touchdown.
"Turnovers kill you!" and that's what happen to the Gators on Sunday.The Mavericks scored first on a 2 yard run after the Gators fumble the ball. The Gators answered back when Peyton Larkin had some nice runs to set up a 43 yard touchdown run by Nick Dagnino. Dagnino run was supplied by great blocking from Kevin Jordan, Spencer Baxter and Alex Tucker. Kevin Downey bulled his way in the end zone for the extra point. The Gators scored again on the next play while being on defense. Anthony Ferraro Jr. stripped the ball away from a Maverick running back and then raced 20 yards for a touchdown. The Mavericks capitalized on another Gator fumble with a 23 yard pass for a touch down. The PAT was good and the half time score was tied at 13 a piece. The Mavericks scored on a 34 yard pass after the Gators fumbled one more time. The Mavericks PAT was good. The Gators scored in the 4th quarter when Anthony Ferraro Jr. exploded for 38 yard run for a touchdown. Key blocks were from Trystan Sarcone and Chase Piro. The PAT was no good. The Gator defense did an outstanding job and was lead by Baxter, Alex Nanai, Will Sturke and Mark Sunoo. Sarcone also had an interceptions for the Gators. Coaches credit Matt Logue for his fine play at outside linebacker.

Bulldogs 26 BANC 13

The North Mianus Bulldogs improved its record to 5-0 with a 26-13 victory over the BANC Raiders at Greenwich High School Sunday. Kevin Iobbi tied the Bulldogs record of four touchdowns in a game and rushed for 178 yards on six carries and Robert Clark added two extra points to lead the powerful North Mianus offense. The explosive and see saw first half saw long run after long run result in a tie game after one quarter. BANC struck first and notch 25 and 60 yard touchdown runs that were immediately answered by 60 and 57 yard TD runs by Iobbi. The Bulldogs' defense then settled down and held BANC scoreless the rest of the way while Iobbi added his third and fourth touchdown runs in the second quarter to put North Mianus ahead to stay. The Bulldogs' defense was led by Christopher Loparco and Alex Bologna, with seven tackles each, followed by Iobbi with six, including a forced fumble that was recovered by Glenn Saperstein. James Loughran and Clark, who saved a touchdown on an open field hit, each added four tackles of their own. Other Bulldogs defensive standouts included Fisher Bray, Christopher Stich, Thomas Price and Jordan Larossa while Antonio DiLorenzo and Luc Ayoub teamed up for a quarterback sack. The Banc Raiders lost a hard fought football game to a very solid North Mianus Bulldog team. The Raider defense recovered a Bulldog fumble on their opening drive and quickly turned the opportunity into six points on a strong run by James Day. However, the Bulldog team was quickly able to score a touchdown of their own against a Raider defense that had given up only two touchdowns all year. The Raiders scored a second touchdown on a long run by Michael Reilly. Through out the game the Raider offensive line was led by Nick Daetwiler, Romano Orlando, Charles Hansen, Tarquin Hansen, Jack Barter, Peter Cartine, Charles Courtenay, and Dylan Ehert. Also running well for the Raiders was Jack O’Connor. Defensively, the Raiders were led by Peter Ryan, Ben Orzulak, and Jason Otis as well as Mathew Weller.

JUNIORS

Mavericks 21 Gators 6

After a scoreless first quarter, the Mavericks offense exploded for 21 points in the second quarter to beat the Gators 21-6. Tommy Rogan opened the scoring with a 35 yard TD run. Alec Oropall ran it in for the PAT. Opening the holes for the Mavericks’ running game were Mike Sands, Wil Salomon, Carlos Fernandez, Cris Cerza and Jamie Cavataro. On the next series, Rogan sliced through the Gators defense on a 40 yard touchdown run. Oropall again converted the PAT. Right before halftime, Joey Longo followed the blocking of fellow backs Quinlin Carroll and Billy Healey, racing around right end and down the sidelines for a 40 yard TD run providing all the scoring the Mavericks needed. The defense, led by Luca Gabriele, who recorded four sacks, held the Gators out of the end zone until late in the fourth quarter. Strong hitting and tackling was added by Duncan Jurkowitz, Johnny MacGillivray, Steven Bozzuto, Harrison Cole, and John Clarke.
The Gators opened the game with an impressive first quarter drive that included two first downs on the back of runs from Addi Yost and Robert Rohrbach. Key blocking from Michael McTiernan, Tommy Morgantini and Kyle Gillick enabled the Gator offensive to move the ball forward. Defensive guard Will Pettinato recovered a fumble early in the second quarter, providing the Gators with key field position and a opportunity to tie the game. The offense was unable to convert and gave the ball back on downs. The Gator defense was once again called upon to stop the Mavericks offense. Kaelan Gillick and Chris Hann speared headed the defense charge holding the high powered Maverick offense to 21 points. The only Gator touchdown came late in the fouth quarter on Luke Bienstock 40 yard run from scrimmage. The blocking was provided by lineman Victor Lataj and Ryan Lenihan. Gators who made big plays in the game were Tripp Smith, Nick Smoller and Paul Williams.

Generals 21 Crushers 6

The General Juniors won the battle of the unbeatens by defeating the Crushers 21-6 and improving o 5-0 . Behind the blocking of Scooter Harrington and Rich Nellie, the Generals opened the scoring on a 30 yard TD run by Tommy Rappa . The PAT run by Sam Barrett was good making the score 8-0. On the General’s next possession -after some good runs by Kyle Dunster and Charlie Cobb- Rappa scored his second touchdown on a 12 yard run. The PAT pass from Will Christensen to Will Perry was good making the score 15-0 . The Crushers came right back and scored on a 55 yard run by Jordon Dublin to make it 15-6 at halftime . The Generals open up the second half with an impressive 60 yard drive . Kent Whitaker hit Kyle Dunster for a 35 yard touchdown pass. The defense played outstanding with Dillon Daine, Brooks Lufkin, Jackson Caputo and Brett Hartley all making big plays. The coaches also credited Jack Groves and Kyle Christensen for hard play.
For the Crushers, the Generals struck first and added another touchdown. With the Crushers down 15-0, they marched down the field and Jordan Dubin scored a 34 yard touchdown. The extra point was no good. Just before half the Crushers quarterback Jack Knight completed a long pass to Kevin Moriarty to the 1 yard line. With only 8 seconds to go until half,the Generals made a nice play to stop the Crusher’s touchdown run. The second half was a hard fought battle with only the Generals adding one more score. Playing well for the Crushers on offense were Meghan Connors, Lucas Perez, Sean Weaver, Winston Minor, Michael Gray, Michael Sullivan, and Ethan Ross. The following players are being recognized for good play on defense: Peter Delepine, Adam Lamoureux, Colin Ingraham, and Trevor Ingraham.

BANC 14 Bulldogs 0

The BANC Raiders defeated the North Mianus Bulldogs 14-0 at Greenwich High School on Sunday afternoon. In a tough defensive battle, the Raiders got on the board first with Peter Dunn scoring a touchdown behind the blocking of Mitchell Nethercott, Petey Agro, and Ryan Eskierski. Thomas Dillinger scored the two point conversion and the Raiders had an 8-0 lead. Defensively BANC held the Bulldogs back behind Robert Lemone and Eskierski. Late in the 3rd quarter the defense came up big again as Agro stripped the ball from a Bulldog ball carrier, stopping a drive and giving the Raiders the ball back. On the second play of the drive, a long run by Peter O’Connor brought the Raiders down into the red zone. Matt Marzulla bulled ahead behind Michael Fahy, Hayden Futch, and Dongju Lee to get the ball inside the five, and Dunn scored again on the next play to put BANC up 14-0. Cameron Thrasher, Jack Martin, Alex Rocco, Michael Tang and the Raider defense made that score stand and the Raiders had their first win of the season.
The Bulldogs defense was strong at the start of the game with Justin Montier, Liam Nelson, Jack Montesi and Lucas Dell’Abate forcing a Raiders punt before the offense went on an impressive 11 play drive led by Emmett Witmer and Devin McGrath. The BANC defense responded and stopped the Bulldogs just shy of a first down on a fourth and two play in Raider territory. The Raiders then marched down the field for a touchdown and completed the pass for the PAT making the score 8-0. After another punt, Owen Tedford unloaded a hit that forced a fumble which he then scrambled to recover and the Bulldogs had the ball again. However, the Bulldogs were unable to capitalize and the half ended with the Raiders up 8-0. The second half featured strong defense from James Arca, Thomas Uhl, Lucas Dell’Abate, Corey Bancroft and Daniel Curley, but they were not able to keep BANC from scoring on aquarterback keeper around end. The PAT was no good and the Raiders led 14-0. The Bulldogs then ran off 12 consecutive plays, highlighted by a fourth and 17 half-back option pass play from Witmer to Jason Boothroyd who made a spectacular diving catch. The Bulldogs, however, couldn’t get the next first down, turning the ball over on downs before BANC ran out the clock.

SENIORS

Bulldogs 17 BANC 0

The North Mianus Senior Bulldogs pitched their fourth shutout of the season, extending their record to 5-0 and moving into sole possession of first place with a 17-0 win over the BANC Raiders at Greenwich High School on Sunday. Zach Mulhern set the tone for the day by recording two plays for negative yardage on BANC’s first offensive series and forcing a Raider punt. On their first series, the Bulldogs would need only three plays to find pay dirt as Nick Bancroft swept left for a 35 yard touchdown run, following Mulhern and Chris Manjuck into the end zone. Bancroft’s extra point was good, and the Bulldogs led 8-0. The Bulldogs carried the ball effectively throughout the day behind an outstanding offensive line. The defensive line also created havoc for the BANC rushers with Christian Bray, Tyler Swift, Kitt and Mulhern. Linebacker Evan Borchetta also made two solo tackles and was credited with a sack. In the second half, the Bulldogs put together another outstanding offensive series when their running game recorded four first downs. This drive would set up short yardage specialist J. P. Doyle, who pounded it in from five yards out making the score 14-0. Quarterback Joey Fedorko would keep the chains moving for the offense which would lead to their final points of the day. Bancroft was able to connect on a 27 yard field goal to put the Bulldogs up 17-0. The field goal unit was not the only special team to have success as Kitt blocked a kickoff and Mulhern recovered a fumbled punt. The game would end with an outstanding interception by Manjuck who stepped in front of a Raider back on a short pass in the flat.

Crushers 22 Generals 0

The Crusher Seniors were able to hold the Generals scoreless with a “bend but don't break” defensive performance led by Joe Kelly, Jimmy Knight, Ryan Marks and Vincent Ferraro. Offensively, Vincent Ferraro opened up the scoring for the Crushers on a 63 yard run with nice blocks by Bo Kane, Michelangelo Federici and Bob Decker. Shawn Dunster continued the scoring for the Crushers after he caught a 76 yard TD pass from QB Knight, which put the Crushers up 14-0. Decker's PAT was good. Knight was credited with an interception and a forced fumble. This set up David Wright who sprinted 34 yards to the endzone. PAT was also good. Ryan Kupferschmid, Tommy Capalbo, Andy Jarombek and Billy O'Malley kept the Generals passing game in check and came up with some important fourth down tackles. The offensive line was led by Sean Marks and Tyler Triscari who continued to open holes the entire game.
The Generals took the opening kick off and put together one of the best drives of the season. Mike Longo and Jack Burke ripped off big gains as the Generals moved the chains behind the blocking of Rich Caputo, Sam Bass and Hunter Frantz. The Crushers wide open offense connected for a touchdown but solid pass rushing was turned in by Parker Embree, Wit Geffs and Francis Claps as they pressured the quarterback. The first half was indicative of the battle between the 2 teams with a score of 6-0. The second half showed the passing attack of the Crushers as they put the ball in the air. Fine play in the Generals defensive backfield by Jonathan Mulrad, Austin Cantwell, and William Evans kept the Crushers working hard for their yardage. Strong efforts were turned in by Jesse Adelberg in the kicking game as he continued to demonstrate one of the strongest legs in the league and fine defensive efforts from Danny Carr, Kendrick Pozo and Christian Umana.

Mavericks 30 Gators 0

Backs Zach Simmel, Thomas Baietto and Vinny Hackett all had scoring runs and Brian Downs added a score with a 55 yard punt return. Linemen Jack Citron, Willie Rosato and John Hayden opened holes for Maverick runners and backs Joaquin Moraiz, Alex Russell and Chris Causey all had impressive runs. On defense, linebackers Nick Pulitano and Kyle Foote and defensive back Jack Harrison led a strong team effort. David Fleming and Griffin Savio each had key pass interceptions.
The Gators while losing to the Mavericks, played like winners. The offense after a slow start was able to move the ball successfully down the field with key passing plays from Robert Breck to Greg McTiernan for 10 plus yards and to Tyler Spaulding for 15 plus yards. There were also several long runs by Ryan Shack, Jackson Bowen and Andres Lapadula. These runs would not have been possible if not for the blocking of Bobby Walker, Ronnie Brock and Marcus Stinebaugh. On the defensive side of the ball Thomas Williams broke into the Maverick backfield record several tackles for losses. Ben Jones, and Timothy Metzger also had a great day tackling Maverick players. There were three turnovers that the Gators defense caused. Robert Breck, Greg McTiernan, and Ryan Shack all recovered fumbles. Other key players included Parker Shack, Kurt Vogt and Darius Asgari. Each played a pivotal role on both sides of the ball.

GYFL Week 5 10/12/08

Bye Week

GYFL Week 4 10/05/08

BANTAM

Putnam Generals 6, Banc Raiders 0

The Putnam Generals pulled out a tough victory over the BANC Raiders in a tight defensive struggle. The Raiders began the game with an eight-play, 54-yard drive, but Putnam's Sammy Jenkins forced a fumble at the Generals' 5-yard line that was recovered by Aedan Lewis. After the teams traded possessions, Putnam's Eric Hadley forced the Raiders' second fumble of the day. The Generals took advantage when Cole Hartley snuck in from the 1-yard line behind the blocking of Nick Mosher, Kyle Laufenberg and Erik Mini for a 6-0 lead. The Generals' defense buckled down from there, led by Justin Zide, who forced a third Raiders' fumble. Jake Cohen (two fumble recoveries), Jackson Trimmer, James Westerberg, Jack Barker, Brenden Whiteley and Josh Erickson also contributed to the Generals' strong defensive effort.
The Raiders' defense was led by Addison Muir, Peter Ryan, Ben Orzulak, Andrew Kelly, James Huber and J.J. Hartwell. Also contributing in the defensive backfield were Harrison Popp and Jimmy Conti. Mathew Weller had a key fumble recovery setting up one last drive for the Raiders. The Raiders' offense moved the ball well, but failed to score for the first time this season. BANC's offense was led by the running of Jack O'Connor and Michael Riley. The offensive line saw contributions from Mathew Morganti at end and Peter Ryan in the middle. Also contributing on offense was Carey Sweeney, Romano Orlando and Charlie Hanson.

North Mianus Bulldogs 21, Glenville Mavericks 6

North Mianus grinded out its latest win on the ground as running backs Kevin Iobbi, Robert Clark and Alex Bologna combined for 167 yards. They found success thanks to the solid blocking of offensive linemen Antonio DiLorenzo and C.J. Hayes. Following a scoreless first quarter, the Bulldogs capped off a nine-play drive with a 16-yard touchdown run by Clark. The extra point was no good and it looked like the Bulldogs would go into the half up 6-0 when, with 1:08 remaining in the second quarter, James Loughran forced and recovered a fumble to put North Mianus in business on Glenville's 20-yard line. Clark then scampered 13 yards for the touchdown. Iobbi then took a pitch and raced to the right corner for the 2-point conversion and 14-0 lead at the half. After the defenses stiffened in a scoreless third quarter, the Bulldogs started a 45-yard, nine-play drive that ate up over six minutes. The drive culminated with a 4-yard touchdown run by Bologna. Billy Nail added the extra point after with a 2-yard quarterback sneak and it was 21-0.
The Bulldogs' defense was steady throughout with Christopher Loparco, Iobbi, Clark, Michael McGrath and Glenn Niblo leading the way. The Mavericks opened the game with a 40-yard pass play from quarterback Nicky Henkel to receiver Jonathan Lore, who took the ball to the 10-yard line on the first play from scrimmage. The Mavericks, however, could not take advantage. The Mavericks' touchdown came on a run by Ryan Carmichael. North Mianus' Clark denied the extra point by tipping a pass in the end zone. Contributing strong blocking for the Mavericks were William George, William Kolman, Jack Mckeefry, David Sorbaro, Alex Spitzer and George Taylor. Running backs Babe Shelbred and Walter Stratton worked hard on offense as well. On defense, the Mavericks were led by the outstanding tackling of Sam Goldberg, Robbie Lanni, Kai Thompsen and Owen Matthews, who forced a fumble that was recovered by James Budkins.

Riverside Gators 19, Cos Cob Crushers 13 (2 OT)

The Riverside Gators won their first game of the season in a thrilling double overtime game against the Cos Cob Crushers. The Gators got on the scoreboard first when Nick Dagnino scored on a 19-yard touchdown run made possible by the blocking of Chase Piro and Kevin Jordan. Kevin Downey plowed his way into the end zone for the PAT to make it 7-0. The Gators' offensive line, made up of Alex Tucker, Will Sturke and Jack Scanlan, did a great job. The Gators' defense was led by Anthony Ferraro Jr.(12 tackles), Timmy Miller (6 tackles), Spencer Baxter (5 tackles), Chase Piro and Alex Nania 3 tackles a piece. Regulation ended tied at 7-7, sending the game to a Kansas City Shootout. The Gators' Kevin Downey scored a 3-yard touchdown to put the Gators up by 6, but Trystan Sarcone's PAT attempt was snuffed out by the Crushers.
The Crushers scored on their next possession and their PAT was stopped by Alex Tucker, Ferraro and Brendan Chow. The Gators answered by scoring the final touchdown on a quarterback sneak by Ferraro Jr. The PAT was no good. The Crushers advanced the ball to the 2-yard line, but on fourth down Piro and Ferraro kept Cos Cob out of the end zone.
The Crushers kept the Gators off the scoreboard most of the game thanks to some solid defensive play by Pat Clisham, Matt Schnabel and Tate Huffman.
Trailing 7-0, Cos Cob's Joe Fedele recovered a Gators' fumble, giving the Crushers the spark they were looking for. Behind the running of Andrew Triscari, Baily Ballone and Mike Ceci, the Crushers drove down to the 1-yard line. From there, quarterback Charlie Knight scored on a quarterback sneak. Ballone added the all-important PAT for a 7-7 tie. The Crushers got solid blocking from Tyler Jester, Christian Novakowski and Walker Williams and strong running from Mike Ceci. Solid defense by Cos Cob's Jackson Fretty and Whit Knight helped keep the score tied. In overtime, Frank Alfano scored for the Crushers.

JUNIORS

Cos Cob Crushers 20, Riverside Gators 0

After battling to a scoreless tie at halftime, the Crushers pulled away in the second half for the win. The Crushers got the ball first in the second half and put together a long drive, capped off by Jack Knight's 1-yard touchdown run. Jordan Dublin's extra-point run was good. The Crushers scored on their next drive as well, this time on a 45-yard run by Colin Ingraham, who also added the PAT. When the Crushers got the ball in the fourth quarter, they scored one last time on a 25-yard run by Ingraham. The PAT was no good. On offense, Peter Delepine, Adam Lamoureux, Michael Gray, Carson Brennan and Peter Wise all played well. Winston Minor helped keep the chains moving. On defense, the following players were recognized for their efforts: Michael Sullivan, Knight, Lucas Perez, Henry Parkhurst, Tom Bacon and Kevin Moriarty.
The Junior Gators played another outstanding game on defense, holding the Crushers without a score in the second half. Defensive ends Luke Bienstock and Joe DeMuyt led the team in total tackles. James Dudzik and Kyle Gillick were also recognized by the Riverside coaches.
Despite failing to score, the Gators' offense did display an ability to move the ball. Wing back Slater Jones led the running attack behind the lead blocking of fullback Marco Pastore. Offensive lineman Victor and Justin Lataj opened the holes up front and provided pass protection for the Riverside quarterback. Tight end Will Logue was also praised for his blocking efforts.

Glenville Mavericks 29, North Mianus Bulldogs 14

The Mavericks evened their record at 2-2 with a solid win over the Bulldogs. Glenville scored on all but one of their possessions. Alec Oropall opened the scoring in the first quarter on a 5-yard run. The extra point was added by Tommy Rogan. The Bulldogs came right back, putting together a 12-play drive. Zachary Noddin contributed 16- and 22-yard runs before Alex Loparco finished things off with a 22-yard scoring run. Noddin punched in the extra point and the game was knotted at 7. The Mavericks answered back on first down with a 60-yard touchdown run by Rogan. The Mavericks scored again before the half on a well-executed, 40-yard catch-and-run by Clay Jurkowitz off a half back option pass from Oropall. The Mavericks took possession to start the second half and held the ball for all but 46 seconds of the third quarter. The drive was capped by Carlos Fernandez's 1-yard touchdown run. The extra point was converted by Joe Lanni. Running backs Luca Gabriele, Billy Healey and Dylan Misisco kept the chains moving on the drive behind the blocking of Andrew Purse, Kieran Carroll and Andrew Kjorlien. The Mavericks' defense allowed scores in the first quarter and on the last drive of the game. Leading the way were Reid Robbins, James Granruth, Jonny Pulitano and Oliver Warren.
The Bulldogs put together a seven-play drive on their second possession with strong running by James Kitt and Jason Boothroyd. Parker Kelly and Jeremy Brown Brugo did the work up front, but the Bulldogs ultimately turned the ball over on downs.
The Bulldogs put together one more scoring drive, spearheaded by the running of Noddin, Kitt and Jason Boothroyd. Loparco found the end zone and North Mianus successfully converted the PAT on a pass from quarterback Devin McGrath to Noddin. The Bulldogs' defense was led by Frank Murray, Tyler Saleeby and Brandon Del Christo.

Putnam Generals 20, BANC Raiders 8

The Generals improved to 4-0 with the impressive win. On the first play of the game, Putnam's Kyle Dunster scored on a 60-yard run. Sam Barrett then scored the PAT behind the strong blocking of Rich Nellie, Jackson Caputo and Peter Sweeney. The Generals increased their lead on the following drive. After runs by Tommy Rappa and Charlie Cobb, quarterback Kent Whitaker took the ball around the end for the 12-yard touchdown run. Putnam's defense was outstanding all afternoon, highlighted by an interception by Whitaker, who returned it for his second touchdown of the day. Both Jack Mahon and Brooks Lufkin also contributed with interceptions, while Dillon Daine and Ryan Pasquali were credited with sacks. Putnam coaches also credited Nick Bonanno, Ryder Stahl, Charlie Whiteley and Ryan Hartford for their outstanding play. After falling behind 14-0, the BANC defense stiffened. The defense - led by Peter Dunn, Peter O'Connor, Brendan Cummins, James Baccile and Petey Agro - kept the Generals offense out of the end zone the rest of the day.
BANC's offense moved the ball, but could not find pay dirt in the first half despite some nice runs from Thomas Dillinger, Matt Marzulla and Tucker Calcano. They were aided by the blocking of Ian Edwards, Parker Grayson and Andrew Schenk. On offense, Dunn connected on a long touchdown to Dillinger, then hit O'Connor for a 2-point conversion in the corner of the end zone to get the Raiders on the board. Raiders' coaches also praised the efforts of Andrew Marinaccio, Matthew Beninati, and Cameron Thrasher.

SENIORS

BANC Raiders 22, Putnam Generals 0

BANC scored all of its points in the first quarter and then let its defense do the rest. The Raiders' dominant first quarter was led by a strong rushing attack. BANC's first score was set up by an Adrian Coscia interception, which led to a 30-yard drive that was capped by Ned Oliver's 1-yard touchdown. L.J. Ambrogio ran hard all day and scored when he made a strong move outside on a 31-yard touchdown run. Fullback Winston Weathers was a workhorse in the first quarter and scored on a 2-yard run. Patrick McGinty excelled on special teams play, returning a punt 25 yards early in the second quarter. The Raiders' defense was able to rise to the occasion several times, and key tackles were made by William Heerdt, Domenic Colasacco, Alex McMurray, William Cecio and Taylor Olmstead. In the second half, Philip Marella, Eli Pagnani, Marcus Avery and Kyle Crocco contributed to keeping the Generals off the scoreboard. Pagnani also rushed the ball hard and caught a 15-yard pass from quarterback Beau Dealy.
The Generals started off running the ball behind the blocking of Frank Claps, Parker Embree and Sam Bass. Although unable to get in the end zone, the Generals did put together a nice drive to move the ball into BANC territory in the second quarter. Much of the yardage was earned by Jack Burke, with some nice running by backfield mates Hunter Frantz and Jesse Adelberg. The second half saw the Generals slow down the BANC attack with solid defense by Jack Harrington, Payson Freylinghausen, Jonathan Mulhrad and Patrick Carey. The second half also saw the Generals put the ball in the air with quarterbacks Cole Perry and Hunter Frantz completing passes for first downs to Rich Caputo and Steve Lewis. During the fourth quarter the Generals continued to move the ball with Austin Cantwell and Christian Umani grinding out yardage.

North Mianus Bulldogs 6, Glenville Mavericks 0

The Bulldogs prevailed in a tight defensive struggle where yardage was at a premium. After the teams traded punts on more than one occasion, the Bulldogs took possession inside their own 40. North Mianus gave the ball to Mark Bernstein on a counter play that he bounced outside to the right and down the sideline for a 65-yard touchdown run. The 6-0 lead would be all the Bulldogs needed as their defense did the rest. Tom Kitt, Zachary Mulhern, Jack Wynne, Manjuck and Bernstein lead a team defensive effort that continually swarmed to the ball. Two key plays for the Bulldogs in the second half were a fumble recovery by Wynne and a stop on a crucial Mavericks fourth-and-one. Nick Bancroft was credited with great special teams play, both punting as well as returning punts throughout the day.
The Mavericks played inspired defense as well, led by linebacker Graham Savio and linemen Dan Claroni, Nick Ulanoff and Alex McGee and defensive back Zach Simmel. On offense, backs Matt Braccio and Kevin Downs had good runs, while ends Ian Brown and Dan Gutman and tackles Griffin Savio and Charlie Pfeifer made some nice blocks.

Cos Cob Crushers 22, Riverside Gators 7

The Crushers picked up their first win of the season behind strong efforts on both sides of the ball. In the first quarter, Marcus Cavini and Vincent Ferraro moved the ball well, bringing it down to the 10-yard line. Ferraro then scored the drive-capping touchdown. Bob Decker's PAT was good. The defense, led by Joe Kelly, Jon Fischer, Larken Kemp and Jack Benenson, helped the Crushers keep the Gators in check. The Crushers scored again in the first quarter when quarterback Jimmy Knight connected with Shawn Dunster for a 15-yard touchdown. Decker's PAT was good. Tommy Capalbo, Matt Wallace and Ryan Marks continued to hold the Gators on defense throughout the first half. Running back David Wright scored Cos Cob's final touchdown. Sean Marks, Ari Spilo and Andy Jarombek were also credited for their fine play.
After a flat first half, the Gators rallied to hold the Crushers scoreless second half. The Gators defense forced a fumble that was recovered by Kurt Vogt and recorded two sacks - one by Gary Lebon and the other by Andres Lapadula. The defense also received strong play from Jackson Bowen, Jimmy Bell, Thomas Williams and Mike Keating.The Gators' offense came alive in the second half, putting together a scoring drive led by Robert Breck passing down the field to Greg McTiernan, Tim Metzger and Jimmy Bell. Henry Taylor capped the drive with a 10-yard touchdown run behind the power blocking of Bobby Walker, Austin Scherer, Ronnie Brock and Max Trudeau.

GYFL Week 3 09/28/08

Bantams

Cos Cob 7 BANC 6

In what turned out to be a defensive struggle, the Bantam Crushers edged the Raiders in a very tight 7 - 6 win. Each team had two possessions in the first quarter, but were unable to gain yards. The Crusher defense held the Raiders at midfield with a fumble recovery by Jackson Fretty, followed by an interception by Pat Clisham on the Raider’s next possession. The Crushers took over at midfield and started an 11 play drive culminating in a 3 yard TD run by Andrew Triscari. The PAT by Baily Ballone was good, making it 7 - 0. The middle of the offensive line led by Frank Alfano, Tyler Jester and Tate Huffman made the touchdown possible. The game stayed close with both teams punting on their next possession. Solid defensive efforts by Dylan Boyd, Charlie Knight, and Philip Ravialle kept the Raiders scoreless. The Raiders finally broke through the Crusher defense with just under a minute left in the 3rd quarter. The PAT was no good, and the score was 7 - 6. The fourth quarter turned into a defensive struggle. The Crusher defense was led by end Matt Schnabel, safety Andrew Hollander and tackle Sean Puente. Both team were unable to move the ball. On the final play of the game, Raider running back Jim Day, ran for nearly 30 yards, eluding many Crushers defenders on the left side. He was finally brought down by Mike Ceci for a game saving tackle. The Banc Raiders lost a hard fought defensive struggle to a well coached Cos Cob Crushers team. The Crushers scored in the first half after forcing a Raider fumble. The Raiders came back in the third quarter with a score only to have their extra point attempt stalled by a penalty. Both the Crushers and Raiders played solid defense in the fourth quarter with the Crushers stopping a late Raider drive near the end zone. Defensively, the Raiders were led by Ben Orzulak, Addison Muir up front, Michael Reilley at defensive end and Jason Otis at linebacker. Strong support also came from Mathew Weller. While the offense only scored once, significant effort was given by Tarquin Hanson, Nicholas Daetwiler, Jack Barter, Romano Orlando, Aidan Munnelly, Aiden Reynolds, Peter Cartine, Seth Kim, Charles Courtenay and Jack Lemone.

Generals 16 Mavericks 7

After the Mavericks took an early 7-0 lead, the Generals’ Reed Aaron answered right back on a strong inside run. In the second half, the Generals increased their lead when Cole Hartley scored a touchdown on a fourth down play from the 5-yard line behind a strong lead block by Sawnie McGee. Aedan Lewis was able to make his second 2-point conversion of the day to push the score to 16-7. The Generals’ defense buckled down from there behind some great play by linemen Patrick Feeley, Peter Mullen, Brenden Whiteley and Warren Bischoff. The Generals’ defensive secondary was able to keep the Mavericks strong passing game in check with Jackson Trimmer, Cole Price, Sammy Jenkins, Chris Burdick, Dylan Ellner and Sebi Cobb providing excellent coverage. The Generals’ Trent Newman ended the game and the Mavericks’ comeback hopes when he intercepted a pass and returned it 28 yards. The Mavericks got on the board first following a long touchdown drive highlighted by a 20 yard pass completion from quarterback Nicky Henkel to receiver Jonathan Lore. On the following play, Lore ripped off a 15 yard run. Henkel then ran the ball in from two yards out for the touchdown. Ryan Carmichael converted the extra point to give the Mavericks a 7-0 lead in the 2nd quarter. Running backs Bailey Savio and Derek Santana were also effective running the ball behind the strong blocking of Max Kilberg, Ian Pearson and Sam Goldberg. Owen Matthews added a big catch on third and long to give the Mavericks a first down and keep a drive alive in the first half. On defense, the Mavericks held the Generals in check for much of the game. Key tackles were recorded by Lachlan Rosato (2 solos/3 assists), John Esposito (2 solos including a tackle for a loss on 4th down), Ben Kraninger (2/1), David MacGillivray (1/1) and Carson Bednar (1/1).

Bulldogs 19 Gators 7

The North Mianus Bantam Bulldogs continued their hot start with a 19-7 victory over the Riverside Gators Sunday. The game was dominated throughout by a grinding rushing offense led by Robert Clark, Alex Bologna, Kevin Iobbi, Nick Blum, Matt Baugher and Riley Howe behind blocking by the entire Maroon and Black line, including Connor Butler, Charlie Callahan and Finbar Doyle. The Bulldogs scored first on a touchdown by Iobbi, with Clark blocking downfield, and never looked back as both Iobbi and Clark notched additional scores. The North Mianus defense also controlled the line of scrimmage as linemen Glenn Saperstein and C.J. Ginsberg were strong up front with support from safeties Justin Sodokoff and T.J. Peck against a tough Gators passing game in running the Bulldogs record to 3-0.
The Riverside Gators face a tough Bulldog team on Sunday and came up a little short with a 7 to 19 loss.Despite the score the Gator offense moved the ball with the running of Nick Dagnino, Brendan Chow and fullback Mac Baxter. Blocking on the line was orchestrated by Robert Bray, Ryan Miles and Daniel Wurst. After Anthony Ferraro Jr. completed a 14 yard pass to wingback Kevin Downey, 3 plays later Ferraro scored on a 15 yard touchdown, Downey competed the PAT. On the defensive side of the ball, the Gators were lead by Alex Nania (9 1/2 tackles), Ferraro (7 1/2 tackles), Connor Weigold and Peyton Larkin. Coaches credit Timmy Miller, James Hopper and Miles VanDermeer for their fine defensive play.

Juniors

Cos Cob 14 BANC 0

When Cos Cob Crushers received the ball to start the game, Jordan Dubin ran for 25 yards. The next play was a 35 yard touchdown pass from Jack Knight to Jack Jones. The extra point was good on a run by Jack Knight. The Crushers would score again on a 68 yard run by Jordan Dubin. The extra point was good from Colin Ingraham. The defenses stiffened and there would be no more scoring. Other players who played well on offense were Tommy Cespedes, Ryan Madigan-Sinclair, and Nicholas Vargas. The running backs of Jack Jones, Trevor Ingraham, Ben Goldstein, and Lucas Perez played well. The Crushers were credited with a good defensive game as Tom Bacon, Adam Lamoureux and Michael Sullivan played great. Knight had an interception to seal the victory.On their opening possesion, BANC drove the field with some nice runs by Peter Dunn and Thomas Dillinger and strong blocking from Mitchell Nethercott, Hayden Futch, Dongju Lee and Michael Fahy but could not score against a tough Crusher defense. Defensively the Raiders had tackles from Robert Lemone, Petey Agro, Matt Marzulla and Peter O’Connor. Cos Cob added another touchdown to go up 14-0. Raider players Michael Beninati, Michael Tang, Alex Rocco and Ryan Eskierski also were mentioned by the coaches.

Generals 21 Mavericks 6

The Generals opened the scoring behind the blocking of Ryan Pasquali and Peter Sweeney. After a Tommy Rappa run of 12 yards, Kyle Dunster took the ball and darted 35 yards to the Maverick’s one yard line. Sam Barrett drove it in for the touchdown to give the Generals a 6-0 lead. After a long touchdown run by the Mavericks to tie the score 6-6, it was all Generals. On the Generals next drive quarterback Kent Whitaker, Dunster and Barrett all had good runs before Charlie Cobb broke a 12 yard run for the touchdown. The PAT by McKinley Frantz was good, making the score 14-6 . The defense which was led by lineman Rich Nellie, Jackson Caputo , Dillon Daine and Brooks Lufkin. The Generals would increase the lead on a Kyle Dunster 22 yard touchdown run. The PAT by Will Perry was good making the first half score 21-6. In the second half both teams played great football. The Mavericks held their own against a strong General’s team. The Maverick’s defense caused several fumbles, but they were not able to capitalize as all were recovered by the Generals. Penetrating the Generals backfield on numerous occasions were Luca Gabriele, Fermin Moriaz, Mike Sands, Joe Lanni, Colin Rosato, and Joey Longo. The Mavericks lone touchdown came in the first half on a 65 yard run by Tommy Rogan. Blocking upfront was provided by Wil Salomon, Cris Cerza, Jamie Cavataro, John Clarke, Quinlin Carroll, and Andrew Kjorlien.

Bulldogs 6 Gators 0 (Double Overtime)

The North Mianus Junior Bulldogs notched their first victory of the 2007 with an electrifying 6-0 win in double overtime against the Riverside Gators at Greenwich High School’s Lower Fields on Sunday. The game ended 0-0 in regulation and went to two Kansas City overtime sessions before Emmett Witmer powered into the end zone for the only score of the day before Jason Boothroyd scooped up a fumble in the end zone as the Gators were going in for the equalizer.The Bulldogs moved the ball well throughout the day as Witmer, Boothroyd, quarterback Devin McGrath and Jeff Aselin ran well throughout ,but a tenacious Gator defense made big stops to keep the game scoreless. The Bulldog defense was up to the task as well as Matt Lodato, Jeremy Brown Brugo, Dylan Carroll, David Stienberg and Tyler Saleeby came up with big stops throughout the game and Justin Montier, Parker Kelly and Liam Nelson made crucial stops throughout the game and in overtime to hold the Gators and send a scoreless game into OT. After both teams failed to score in the first overtime, Witmer took the first play of the second overtime and followed a block by Asselin into the end zone and a 6-0 Maroon and Black lead. The crucial extra point failed and was looming large as the Gators immediately carried the ball to the one yard line. The next play look like it would be the equalizer, but a gang of Bulldog tacklers hit the Riverside ball carrier and the ball squirted free into the end zone when Boothroyd secured the victory.The Junior Gator's defense held the Bulldogs high powered offense to no points at the end of four quarters of play. The defense was lead by defensive back Nick Oram who made many key tackles. Defensive lineman and game captain -Chris Hann- closed down the Bulldogs inside running game. The coaches also recognized Tom Morgantini for his stellar play at outside linebacker and Ryan Lenihan for his outstanding play at defensive back. Paul Williams was critical in stopping the Bulldogs passing effort with one interception along with one deflected pass. Punter Niko Patrk received kudos from the coaching staff for key punts that gave the Gators excellent field position. Despite scoring no points, the Gators offense moved the ball on the ground and in the air. Quarterback Nick Smoller completed a 20 yard pass to wide receiver Thomas Feda and put the Gator's offense in scoring territory. Luke Bienstock lead the Gator's running attack with key runs from scrimmage. The blocking up front was provided by Tripp Smith and Michael McTiernan. Kaelen Gillick was also recognized for his outstanding play at offensive tackle.

Seniors

Mavericks 28 Generals 0

The Mavericks again displayed their strong defense, recording their second straight shutout. The Mavericks controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball scoring on offense and defense with the special teams setting up other scores. Linemen Jack Citron, Dan Claroni, Nick Ulanoff and John Hayden opened up holes for Maverick runners. Running backs Chris Cawsey, Kyle Foote, Nick Pulitano and Kevin Downs saw action on both sides of the ball with Foote capping the scoring with a touchdown run. Running backs Joaquin Moraiz, Vinny Hackett and Jamie Paradise each had significant runs to control the ball in the second half. Defensive lineman Brian LeDobole had a fumble recovery and defensive back Jack Harrison had several key stops.The Generals started off on defense and played well against a very strong Maverick offense. Solid line play was demonstrated by Jack Harrington, Rich Caputo and Jesse Adelberg. The Generals took over on offense behind the quarterbacking of Cole Perry and blocking by Stevie Lewis, Sam Bass and Frank Claps. The rest of the first half had the Generals moving the ball well, but unable to score against a tough Maverick defense. In the second half the Generals defense hung tough with tackles turned in by Christian Umana, Jonathan Muhlrad and Austin Cantwell. The Generals broke a long run by Austin Krause who took the handoff from Hunter Frantz but were stopped short of the end zone
.BANC 22 Crushers 16 (Double Overtime)

The BANC Raiders won an exciting overtime win over the Cos Cob Crushers. Both teams did most of their scoring during the overtime shoot out and the regulation game ended in an 8 to 8 tie. Both teams scored their regulation touchdowns on big plays. The Crushers hit a 34 yard touchdown pass in the first quarter to score their only regulation touchdown and the Raiders scored on a 35 yard punt return for a touchdown by Kyle Cruz in the third quarter. The Raider defense and special teams made some big plays with some key tackles throughout the contest. In particular, Alex Byrne made a crucial sack in the fourth quarter pushing the Crushers back near their own goal line. Aaron Hillman exhibited some great hustle and made some key tackles as part of the Raider’s punt coverage unit. Taylor Olmstead played strongly on both sides of the ball pressuring the Crusher quarterback often and provided some key blocks for the Raider backs. Other key players on the line of scrimmage included center William Cecio, guard Will Heerdt, tackle Matthew Tate and ends Eli Pagnani, Marcus Avery and Kyle Crocco. During overtime, Caleb Meath and Cameron Gray scored touchdowns and Alex McMurray successfully completed his PAT attempt to keep the Raiders in the game. Also, Quarterback Steven Michaud played a solid game, running for a first down and hitting Ned Oliver for a first down completion on a key 3rd and 7 play in the first quarter. For the Crushers, David Wright sprinted 25 yards which set up a touchdown pass from quarterback Jimmy Knight to Joe Kelly. The PAT by Bob Decker was good. Offensive linemen James Harnett and Sean Marks were credited with playing well and opening up holes. The Crushers led the game until late in the third quarter when BANC's special team scored on a punt return. The Crushers defense played very well and was led by Kelly, Marcus Cavini, Jon Fischer, Wright, Vincent Ferraro and Tucker McGarrity who made a touchdown saving tackle on a long Raider run. Ryan Kupferschmid knocked down a pass as time expired sending the game into overtime. BANC went first in the overtime and scored. The Crushers then had their turn and a 9-yard pass from Knight to Shawn Dunster set up a quarterback sneak by Knight from the one yard line. In the 2nd overtime, after a few unfortunate penalties set the Crushers back from the 5 to the 20, they were unable to score.

Bulldogs 24 Gators 0

The North Mianus Bulldogs ran their record to 3-0 and recorded their second straight shutout. Mark Bernstein scored on a sweep behind the blocking of Justin Gaccione, Chris Manjuck and Alex Benedict to put the Bulldogs ahead early. Strong defensive play by J.P. Doyle, Brandt Hipp, and Zack Mulhern would get the ball back to the Bulldogs. Quarterback Max Barefoot then hit tight end Evan Borchetta on a fifty yard catch and run touchdown to continue the scoring. Running back Andrew Bologna would also find pay dirt on a two yard plunge to end the half. Nick Bancroft continued his perfect day with his third extra point to make the score 24-0. Strong running by Jack Nail and Scott Sutton was the offensive highlight of the second half. Defensively, the Bulldog team, aided by a Barefoot interception, gang tackled their way to the victory. The Gators suffered another loss, but played with alot of heart. The defense -while giving up several touchdowns in the first half- held the Bulldogs to no scores in the second half. Greg McTierman had a great game leading the Gators with eight tackles. Tyler Spaulding and Mark Murphy both accounted for one fumble recovery each in an outstanding second half. Other notables on the Gator defense were Bobby Walker with three tackles, Andres Lapadula with two hard hitting tackes, Ben Jones and Ryan Shack also with three and Ross Milani covering the secondary allowing no Bulldog receptions. The offense -while not scoring any points- executed several plays that put the Gators in scoring position. A long thirty yard pass from Henry Taylor to Timothy Metzger was the Gators only touchdown, but was negated due to an illegal formation. Jackson Bowen -back after an injury - ran the ball hard carrying many Bulldogs on each run. Michael Keating had three receptions that moved the ball for the Gators. Ryan Shack was the leading rusher for the Gators.

GYFL WEEK 2 9/21/08

BANTAMS

Crushers 12 Mavericks 6

The Mavericks first possession was stopped by a fumble caused by Crusher Whit Knight. The ball was recovered by Jackson Fretty and the Crusher offense took charge. Set up by a 24 yard by Mike Ceci, Baily Ballone went up the right side to score on a 27 yard TD run. Key blocks on the run were delivered by Christian Novikowski, Tyler Jester, and Walker Williams. The PAT by Andrew Triscari was no good. The remainder of the half was a defensive struggle, both teams bending but not breaking. Key defensive stops were made by Frank Alfano and key interception by Pat Clisham. The Mavericks scored at the beginning of the 4th quarter, tying the game and turning the momentum in the Maverick’s favor. The Crushers went to Andrew Triscari who had 6 carries for 45 yards to drive the ball down to the Maverick 30 yd line, but the Mavericks defense stiffened to keep the game tied. The Crushers got the ball back with just over a minute to go, and on 3rd down, Jackson Fretty broke over the left side blocking of Brice Klair, Sean Puente and Charlie Russel, to scramble 25 yards for the winning touchdown. Coaches noted a good game played by Andrew Salebeey and Matt Schnabel.
The Mavericks offense moved the ball well all day, beginning with a long drive on the first series of the game. After marching deep into Crusher’s territory, the Mavericks turned the ball over on a fumble. The Mavericks got on the board in the 2nd half on a drive highlighted by running back Ryan Carmichael’s 40 yard run. QB Nicky Henkel then punched it in for the touchdown. The Mavericks had several big running and passing plays throughout the game led by Jonathan Lore along with James Budkins and Charlie Zeeve. Strong blocking on the line was provided by Ben Kraninger, David Sorbaro, William George and Alex Spitzer. The Mavericks defense swarmed to the ball with several players contributing big tackles. Bailey Savio led the defense with seven solo tackles and four assists. Owen Matthews had another big day with two touchdown-saving tackles among his four solo tackles and three assists. Carson Bednar added a tackle while Matthew Roer, Andrew Liebers, Jimmy McMachan, Jack McKeefry and Walter Stratton all played strong defense for the Mavericks.

BANC 24 Gators 0

The score at half time was 6-0 on a BANC touchdown run by James Day made possible by the blocking of Andrew Kelly and Mathew Morganti. In the second half, the Raiders’ offense scored three touchdowns including one on a dazzling run by Michael Reilly. Leading the upfront blocking on numerous drives for the Raiders was Tarquin Hansen, Nicholas Daetwiler, Dylan Ehret, and Romano Orlando. The defense recorded its second shutout with the strong performances by Peter Ryan, James Otis, Mathew Weller, Jack Barter, and Aiden Reynolds. Also, making major contributions to the victory were Aidan Munnelly, Peter Cartine, and Seth Kim. This victory was a result of a complete team effort with every player contributing significantly to the Raiders’ victory.
Riverside Gators played hard but were not able to punch in a touchdown against a very good Raider’s defense. Running the ball well for the Gators was Peyton Larkin and Kevin Downey. The offensive line created the holes behind Spencer Baxter, Jack Scanlan, Timmy Miller and Matt Logue. The Gator coaches also praised offensive tackle Jamie Cassidy for his fine blocking. The Gator defense was led by middle linebacker Anthony Ferraro Jr. who had eleven tackles for the day and defensive guard Chase Piro who had eight tackles. Other Gators who gave a great effort on defense were Patrick McTiernan, Kevin Jordan and Mark Sunoo. Gator Nick Dagnino recovered a Raider fumble in the 3rd quarter.

Bulldogs 24 Generals 15

Robert Clark rushed for 160 yards on thirteen carries and tied a Bulldog record by rushing for four touchdowns in leading the North Mianus Bulldogs Bantam squad to a 24-15 victory over the Putnam Generals. Clark led the maroon and black rushing attack that totaled 215 yards on 30 carries with touchdown runs of 39, 38, 30 and 3 yards. The tough Generals team held a 7-6 lead until a twelve play six minute drive in the second quarter put the Bulldogs in the lead to stay with big tackles by Matthew Baugher, Jessica Aselin and Christopher Loparco assisting Kevin Iobbi, Nicholas Blum and Alex Bologna. Charlie Callahan forced a fumble recovered by James Loughran. The second half had the Bulldogs expand their lead. Adam Pate, Luc Ayoub, Tyler Moran and Justin Sodokoff all came up with big plays before the backfield of Billy Nail, Philip Ayoub and Riley Howe controlled the final few minutes of the clock and the Bulldogs victory.
The Generals took an early lead of 7-6 on a long touchdown run by Aedan Lewis who received solid blocking by linemen Malcolm Essaid, Alex Wada, Blake Guerreri, Nick Mosher, Jake Cohen, James Westerberg, Josh Erickson and fullback Reed Aaron. The Generals received a strong defensive effort highlighted by big tackles from Jack Barker, Patrick Feeley, Greyson Wolfram, Ryan Mulshine and Justin Zide. Despite this great effort, the Bulldogs were able to capitalize on several big plays to gain the lead. The Generals final touchdown was scored by Cole Hartley, who also added his second successful extra point attempt of the game to finish the scoring.

JUNIORS

Gators 12 BANC 0

The Gators opened the game with a ten play, 60 yard drive that culminated in a one yard run from quarterback Robert Rohrbach. The touchdown was set up by a 25 yard run from tailback Addison Yost who led the team with 70 yards total rushing yards for the game. Yost also ran for a 30 yard touchdown late in the 3rd quarter to increase the lead to 12-0. Tailback Sean Doherty contributed to the win with key runs from scrimmage. The offensive blocking was led by wing back Mitchell Bowen and tight end Slater Jones. Offensive lineman Max Metalios and Paul Williams did a great job opening up the holes on the line. The Gator defense did an outstanding job, holding the Banc offense on two goal line situations. Outside linebacker James Dudzik and strong safety Chris Keller made key tackles behind the line of scrimmage stopping the BANC offensive drives. Defensive lineman John Rohrbach and Liam Quigley also contributed to the Gator's outstanding defensive play. The Gator coaching staff also recognized Jamie Kelly for his outstanding play on the way to the Gator's first league win.
Tucker Calcano had a long run for the Raiders and Thomas Dillinger connected on some excellent throws to Mark Nielsen, but the Raiders were unable to put the ball in the end zone against a tough Gator defense. Nick Bozzuto, Whit Kim, James Baccile, Matthew Beninati and Cameron Thrasher also contributed on offense. Petey Agro and Peter O’Connor made numerous tackles at linebacker for the Raiders, helped by Jack Martin. Brendan Cummins, Ian Edwards and Andrew Schenk also played great for the Raiders.

Crushers 26 Mavericks 18

The Mavericks started off the game and drove the ball in for a score, but the Crusher defense stopped the extra point. The Crushers came right back and scored on a Jordan Dubin 25 yard touchdown run. After a score by the Mavericks, Dubin broke a 60 yard run to the end zone. With the scored tied at 12-12, the Crushers came back and scored on a 31 yard touchdown catch form Jack Knight to Jack Jones. The extra point was good from Jordan Dubin. The Mavericks came back and scored, but the Crusher defense came up and stopped the extra point. The Crushers added a 4th quarter score from Knight to Jones on a 10 yard pass. The Crusher defense held on and kept the Mavericks out of the end zone to preserve the win. Players who excelled on offense were Ethan Ross, Peter Wise, Mark Zohdy, Meghan Connors, Lucas Bell, and Sean Weaver. Running backs Winston Minor along with Colin and Trevor Ingraham also had significant runs to help the Crushers win.
The Mavericks played a spirited game against a strong Crusher's team, exchanging scores throughout the game. In the end, the clock ran out on the Mavericks as they were driving for a potential game-tying score . After Clay Jurkowitz made his second outstanding over the shoulder catch of the day, the Mavericks drive stalled on the the Crushers 15 as time ran out. The game began for the Mavericks with a 5 yard touchdown run by Alex Orapall. Later in the second quarter, Tommy Rogan broke several tackles to score a touchdown on a 20 yard run. In the seesaw battle, late in the 3rd quarter Orapall, scored again on an exciting 70 yard run to round out the Mavericks scoring. Blocking in the backfield was provided by Billy Healy and Dylan Misisco. The combined offensive line of Steven Bozzuto, Michael Marzonie , Chris Cerza and Jamie Cavataro provided the running backs the room to run. The Mavericks defense was lead by Luca Gabriele, Joey Longo , Carols Fernandez, Alexander Buffone, Tommy Fleming and Fermin Moriaz .

Generals 25 Bulldogs 0

The Generals improved to 2-0 behind the strong blocking of Dillon Daine and Jackson Caputo. After a good run by Tommy Rappa, Kyle Dunster opened up the scoring on a 12 yard run making the score 6-0. On the Generals second possession, quarterback Kent Whitaker handed the ball to Sam Barrett who made a great cut and took it in for a 22 yard touchdown making the score 12-0. The Generals next possession was an impressive twelve play drive led by running backs Will Perry and McKinley Frantz. Quarterback Kyle Christensen took the ball the final yard for the touchdown and Brett Collins PAT run was good making the score 19-0. The final score came on a 27 yard run by Charlie Cobb. The defense played a solid game and was led by linemen Brooks Lufkin and Rick Nellie. Barrett and Cobb were credited with three sacks each. The game started with a strong defensive stand as Casey Benda tackled a General’s running back followed by a James Arca stop before the Generals converted a first down. Stops by James Kitt, Devin McGrath, Jason Boothroyd and Jeremy Brown Brugo slowed the Putnam attack down, but the Generals complete an 1eleven play drive with their first touchdown from nine yards out with 3:50 left in the first quarter. Arca blocked the extra point attempt and the Generals led 6-0. The Bulldog offense moved the ball well on long runs by Emmett Witmer, Jeff Aselin and Boothroyd. A key block by Parker Kelly helped McGrath go up the middle for another Bulldog first down and the Bulldogs were moving, but came up short on a third down try after running off nine consecutive plays. On the next General’s possession, a touchdown saving tackle by Dylan Carroll slowed the Generals down, but a three play drive resulted in a score and 12-0 lead. The Bulldogs had inspired defensive play from Windsor Doyle, Alexander Loparco, John Georgas and Frank Murray the rest of the way, but were unable to overcome a strong Generals effort.

SENIORS

Mavericks 18, Crushers 0

The Maverick defense turned in another strong performance not allowing a score while intercepting four Crusher passes. David Fleming had three interceptions, returning one for a touchdown to put the Mavericks on the board in the second quarter. Cornerback Zach Simmel added another interception return for a touchdown before the half. Other standouts on defense included linemen John Hayden and Griffin Savio, linebackers Alex Russell and Graham Savio and defensive back Jamie Paradise. Offensively, the Mavericks ground attack controlled the ball throughout the game with halfback Matt Braccio scoring from 28 yards out in the third quarter to cap the scoring. Quarterback Thomas Baietto and running backs Joaquin Moraiz and Vinny Hackett paced a strong running game. Ends Ian Brown and Dan Gutman and linemen Charlie Pfeifer and Alex Cole controlled the line of scrimmage.
After a first quarter drive of 75 yards by the Mavericks, the Crusher defense, led by Joe Kelly and David Wright, was able to hold the Mavericks from scoring. However, giving up two touchdowns to the Mavericks on interceptions in the second quarter put the half time score at 12-0. In the fourth quarter, Billy O'Malley led the offense up field with completions to Shawn Dunster and Kelly. Also playing well on defense was Jack Benenson, Jon Fischer and Tyler Triscari.

BANC 32 Gators 0

The Banc Raiders played a strong game on both sides of the ball in a physical contest against the Riverside Gators. The game featured brilliant plays and some physical football by both clubs. Scoring touchdowns for the Raiders were Caleb Meath (2), Kelley Jay and Mathew Tate after blocking a pass and returning it for a score. Winston Weathers recovered a Gator fumble, played an outstanding outside linebacker and kicked a two point conversion. Contributing to a tough defense were Philip Marella, Ned Oliver (who also had an interception), Eli Pagnani, Domenic Colasacco, Alex McMurray (who also recovered a fumble), Patrick McGinty, William Cecio and Beau Dealy. Hard running Cameron Gray helped the Raiders move the ball on several key downs and running back LJ Ambrogio helped move the ball in the fourth quarter.
The Gators defense lead by inside linebacker Mark Murphy had five solo tackles and Gardy Lebon, Ben Jones, and Nick Shepis also played key roles at linebacker to help contain the BANC offense. The defensive line played an outstanding game - with solo tackles by Max Trudeau, Thomas Williams, Ronnie Brock and Mike Keating. A highlight to the Gator defense was the fumble recovery by Mike Keating which put the Gators in scoring position. The Gator offensive play was equally impressive. While no points were scored, the offense lead by Robert Breck had several successful drives throughout the day. On a 4th down and 3 yards to go, the Gators opted to go for it and under the excellent blocking by the Gator line - Marcus Steinbaugh, Gardy Lebon, Ronnie Brock, Max Trudeau, and Mike Keating, they were able to grab the first down. Mike Keating and Greg McTiernan lead the team with two receptions.

Bulldogs 22 Generals 0

Quarterback Max Barefoot notched his second touchdown pass of the season, hitting Mark Bernstein in the flat, who then tore down the sideline for a 48 yard touchdown on their opening drive. The Bulldog defense, led by Matt Alfano, Tom Kitt and Chris Manjuck got the ball back for the Bulldogs after a Sam Saleeby interception. Power runner J.P. Doyle, would punch it in from one yard out and the Bulldogs led 14-0. Also recording interceptions on the day for the Bulldogs were Scott Sutton, Brandt Hipp and Barefoot. Evan Borchetta, who played a great game on offense, defense and special teams, would find pay dirt in the second quarter on a 12 yard run. Other hard running Bulldog backs included Jack Nail, Andrew Bologna, Ryan Borchetta, Sutton and Saleeby. The Generals fell behind early after two quick touchdowns in the first quarter made the score 14 to 0. After the first quarter, the Generals settled down and began to move the ball on the ground. Great blocking by Hunter Frantz, Parker Embree and Sam Bass helped free Danny Carr and Austin Krauss for good yardage. The first half ended with the Generals threatening as Jack Burke rumbled down inside the 5 yard line, but the clock ran out before the Generals could put it into the end zone. The second half saw the defenses take over as neither team could gain many yards. Fine defensive play by Christian Umani, Austin Cantwell and Steve Lewis helped the Generals keep positive field position. The offense threatened, but was unable to get on the scoreboard. Big tackles for a loss were posted by Jack Corrigan and Billy Lewis for the Generals against the tough Bulldogs offense.

GYFL Week 1 9/14/08

BANTAM

BANC Raiders 14, Glenville Mavericks 0

The BANC victory was a complete team effort. The offense was led by the running of James Huber, Michael Reilly, Jason Otis, and Jack O’Connor. Charles Hanson, Jack Lemone and Addison Muir had key blocks on the line. The BANC defense was led by lineman Ben Orzulack with three sacks and key tackles by linebacker James Day. The BANC secondary made up of Harrison Popp, JJ Hartwell, and Jimmy Conti kept the Maverick offense in check throughout the day. Congratulations to all the BANC bantams on a great season opener.
While the Mavericks did not score, the offense was able to move the ball throughout the game. The offensive line was anchored by tackle Ben Kraninger and center Ian Pearson who worked hard all day to open up holes against the tough BANC defense. Chewing up yards on the ground were running backs Bailey Savio, David MacGillivray and Derek Santana. The Mavericks complemented their running game with an effective passing attack as quarterback Nicky Henkel connected with Ryan Carmichael three times. The Mavericks defense played well. Defensive tackle Max Kilberg recovered a fumble and other standouts included linebackers Lachlan Rosato and Owen Matthews, Charlie Zeeve and defensive linemen William Kolman, Sam Goldberg and Kai Thompsen. Other defenders contributing with tackles included linebacker John Esposito and safety Robbie Lanni.

North Mianus Bulldogs 26, Cos Cob Crushers 13

The North Mianus Bantam Bulldogs got the 2008 season off to an impressive start as Kevin Iobbi rushed for four touchdowns in leading the 2007 GYFL runner-ups to victory at Brunswick’s Cosby Field on Sunday. Iobbi and quarterback Nicholas Blum led an impressive ground game behind an offensive front line of James Loughran, Connor Butler, Daniel Ezquivel, Finbar Doyle, James Gordon and Glenn Saperstein. Alex Bologna notched the Bulldogs’ two PATs. The Bulldog defense, except for a couple of long touchdown runs, was solid throughout the game. Loughran and Bologna lead the North Mianus effort on that side of the ball. Other defensive standouts included Saperstein, Butler, Charlie Callahan, C. J. Ginsberg, Christoher Loparco, Jacob Noddin and Thomas Benda and safety Jessica Aselin, who sealed the victory by making a shoe string tackle to end the game.
The Crushers answered the Bulldogs first score with a 60-yard touchdown run by quarterback Charlie Knight. Key blocks by Pat Clisham and Phillipe Ravielle and Tate Huffman made the run possible. The Crusher defense was lead by Mike Ceci, Andrew Triscari, and Henry Saleeby. After the Bulldogs scored on their first possession of the second half the Crushers answered right back with a 58-yard touchdown run by Baily Ballone. The run was made possible by great blocking of Walker Williams, Christian Novikowski, and Triscari. Other Crushers playing well in the game were, Whit Knight, Cameron Dalton, Sean Puente. Frank Alfano and Tyler Jester.

Putnam Generals 18, Riverside Gators 12 2 OT

The Generals defeated the Gators in an extremely competitive double overtime thriller to start the season. The Generals jumped out to an early 6-0 lead on a long run around left end by Aedan Lewis. Gator Peyton Larkin did not allow the Generals to convert their extra point. The Gators quickly answered back when quarterback Anthony Ferraro Jr. broke a 64-yard touchdown run to tie the game. Ferraro received key blocks from Alex Tucker and Vijay Kadiyala.
The Generals, however, retook the lead on a short touchdown behind great blocking by Kyle Laufenberg, Malcolm Essaid, Eric Mini and Ben Frey. The Gators scored again to tie the score at 12-12 late in the fourth quarter when center Chase Piro provided a key block for Ferraro, who sprinted 60 yards for his second touchdown of the game. Unfortunately for Riverside, the Gators fell just short on their extra point attempt as Putnam’s Sawnie McGee, Jake Cohen and Alex Wada combined to bring the runner down inches short of the goal line. The game then went into overtime where the Generals were able to stop the Gators on their first two possessions behind strong defensive play by Reed Aaron, James Westerberg, Josh Erickson, Jackson Trimmer, Patrick Feeley and Eric Hadley. On the Generals second OT possession, Cole Hartley scored the game-winning touchdown to set off a wild post-game celebration on the field.
The Gators defense — led by Baxter, Kadiyala, Brandon Chow, Peyton Larkin and Connor Weigold — did a solid job. Trystan Sarcone recovered a General fumble for the Gators. The Gator offensive line was anchored by Piro, Kevin Downey, Kevin Jordan and Christian Metzger.

JUNIORS

Glenville Mavericks 20, BANC Raiders 2

The Mavericks opened the season with a strong overall performance thanks to a rushing game led by Alec Oropall, Tommy Rogan, Clay Jurkowitz and Harrison Cole. The path to the end zone was paved by solid upfront blocking by Will Salomon, Carlos Fernandez, Joey Longo, Michael Sands, Michael Marzonie, John Clarke, Jamie Cavataro, and Quinlin Carroll. While the offense did its part, the Mavs defense kept the Raiders out of the end zone, recovering two fumble along the way. The hard-hitting defense was led by Fermin Moriaz, Luca Gabriele, Alexander Buffone, Oliver Warren, and Johnny MacGillivray.
The Raiders offense, led by Matt Marzulla and Peter Dunn, was able to move the ball at times, but was unable to find the end zone against a tough Maverick defense. Peter O’Connor had a 40-yard run for the Raiders but was tackled short of the end zone. On defense, the Raiders received strong efforts from Marc Neilsen, Petey Agro, Sandro Mariani and Thomas Dillinger. Coaches also gave credit to the fine play of Tucker Calcano, Andrew Marinaccio, Robert Lemone and Parker Grayson.

Putnam Generals 25, Riverside Gators 0

The Generals team played an outstanding game against the Riverside Gators. Behind the strong blocking of Rich Nellie and Eddie Larkin, the Generals were able to score four touchdowns. The game went Putnam’s way right from the first play when Charlie Cobb recovered a Gator fumble and Kyle Dunster took the ball off tackle to score on a 15-yard run. On Putnam’s second possesion, quarterback Kent Whitaker pitched the ball to Dunster, who ran 30 yards for his second touchdown and a 12-0 lead. The Generals would make the score 19-0 after several good runs by Tommy Rappa and Cobb moved the ball to the Gators’ 12-yard line. Sam Barrett then took the ball off tackle for the touchdown. The PAT by Will Perry was good. The Generals final score came on a 60-yard drive that was set up by running backs Will Perry, Brendan Santani and quarterback Will Christensen. Brett Hartley took the ball the final three yards for the score. The Generals; defense played well all day as evidenced by the shut out. Putnam was led by lineman Lufkin and Nellie along with linebackers Kyle Christensen and safety Locke McGee.
The Gators’ defense did an outstanding job in the first half lead by Niko Patrik, Paul Williams and Will Pettinato. Riverside coaches also recognized Joe Dymutt, for his spirited defensive effort in the second half, and Marco Pastore, for his tenacious play at outside linebacker.The Gators’ offense was powered by running backs Addi Yost and Luke Beinstock. Opening the holes upfront were offensive lineman Jack Weigold, Bradley Gavin and Thomas Feda. The Gator coaches also praised offensive center Damien Weber’s effort.

Cos Cob Crushers 13, North Mianus Bulldogs 6

The Crushers and Bulldogs have always had strong defensive teams and this game was no different. The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 6-0 lead on the third play from scrimmage when Jason Boothroyd took a pitch right and scampered up the sidelines for a 55-yard touchdown run. The Crushers, however, stopped the extra point.
Cos Cob responded with a 50-yard touchdown run by Trevor Ingraham. Additional key runs on the drive were turned in by Colin Ingraham, Lucas Perez and Nick Durvasula.
Just before halftime, the Crushers scored on a pass from Jack Knight to Kevin Moriarty. Knight’s extra point was good and Cos Cob lead 13-6 at the half.
The second half was a scoreless affair dominted by the defenses. There were several big plays by Cos Cob’s Henry Parkhurst, who had one of three fumble recovories by the Crushers. Adam Lamoureux and Michael Sullivan had the over two. Peter Delepine, Tom Bacon, Ian Bannon, Jack Jones, Colin Ingraham, Kevin Moriarty, Lucas Perez, and Michael Sullivan all contributed to Cos Cob’s solid second-half effort.
The Bulldogs’ defense was equally effective in the second half thanks to Matt Lodato, John Georgas, Owen Tedford, Frank Murray, Emmett Witmer, Brown-Brugo, Zachary Noddin, Liam Nelson, Brendin Mulhern and James Kitt.

SENIORS

North Mianus Bulldogs 20, Cos Cob Crushers 8

At Brunswick, the Bulldogs rode a productive offense, stingy defense, and exciting special teams play to notch a 20-8 opening day victory. The Crushers opened up on offense, but stops by Chris Manjuck and Jack Wynne forced the Crusher to punt and quad-captain, Mark Bernstein was off and running with a 20-yard punt return that gave the Bulldogs great field position. North Mianus quarterback Max Barefoot went to work hitting Nick Bancroft on a 12-yard screen pass before Bancroft raced around the right end for a 19-yard touchdown run. The extra point was good and the Bulldogs had an 8-0 lead.
Following another stout defensive effort and another big run by Bernstein, Bancroft capped a 10-play drive by finding the end zone again on a sweep to the left behind Christian Bray, Phillip Coons and Alex Benedict.
The Bulldog defense continued to do its job thanks to the efforts of outside linebacker Evan Borchetta and defensive linemen Tom Kitt and Justin Gaccione. On offense, Scott Sutton and Sam Saleeby ran the ball well. The Bulldogs turned an interception by Hipp into a one-yard touchdown by fullback J.P. Doyle.
After falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter, the Cos Cob defense tightened behind Joe Kelly, Ari Spilo, Ryan Marks Matt Wallace, David Wright and Andy Jarombek. When the Crushers got the ball for their first drive, runs by Vincent Ferraro, Marcus Cavini and pass receptions by Kelly and Bo Kane set up quarterback Jimmy Knight, who was able to run the ball into the end zone from two-yards out. The PAT by Bob Decker was good.

BANC 3, Mavericks 0 OT

After four quarters of football and some outstanding defensive play by both teams the score was tied at 0–0, sending the game to a shootout.
The Mavericks started with the ball on the Raiders’ 10-yard line, but could not penetrate the end zone after four tries.
BANC that got its crack at it with a first-and-10 from the Mavericks’ 10. After a strong defensive stand by Glenville, the Raiders elected to attempt a field goal on fourth-and-7 by Alex McMurray. With Steven Michaud holding, McMurray split the uprights from 24 yards out to win the game.
The Raiders played outstanding defensive football throughout the game. In particular, many key tackles were made by the defensive line of Aaron Hillman, Taylor Olmstead and William Heerdt. The linebacker corps of Ned Oliver and Cameron Gray on the inside and Caleb Meath and Kelly Jay on the outside did their part as well. On the offensive side of the ball, the Raiders made several big plays, but were unable to cross the goal line. Quarterback Beau Dealy hit Kyle Cruz with a 16-yard pass in the third quarter to move the ball to midfield before the Maverick defense held and forced a Raiders’ punt. BANC relied on a rushing attack led by backs Ned Oliver, Caleb Meath, Adrien Coscia and Kyle Cruz to move the chains.
For BANC, linemen Dan Claroni, Alex McGee, Nick Ulanoff, Jack Citron, Alex Cole and Willy Rosato played hard on both sides of the ball. Running backs Zack Simmel and Matt Braccio had key runs and punt returns, allowing the Mavericks to control the clock throughout regulation. Linebackers Kyle Foote, Chris Cawsey and Nick Pulitano had key stops, and defensive backs Thomas Baietto and David Fleming shut down the BANC passing game. Brian LeDobele and Johnny Erdman saw extensive action on both sides of the ball.

Putnam Generals 26, Riverside Gators 18

The Generals started off their season by pulling out a win in a high-scoring affair. Riverside got on the board first when outside linebacker Gardy Lebon made Gators history by scoring the first touchdown in the history of the new Senior team. Lebon intercepted a Putnam pass and raced 40 yards for the touchdown. The extra point, however, was stopped by a nice defensive effort from Putnam’s Hunter Frantz and Jack Harrington.
The Generals then got over some early jitters and began moving the ball downfield behind the blocking of Kendrick Pozo and Sam Bass. Mike Longo scored the Generals’ first touchdown to tie up score. Putnam’s defense stiffened behind Parker Embree and Rich Caputo and got the ball back for the Generals when Austin Krauss recovered a fumble. Another Longo touchdown behind a Jack Burke block and a nice extra point by Danny Carr closed out the scoring for the first half.
The second half began with the Gators finding paydirt again. Quarterback Robert Breck found receiver Michael Keating for a 40 yard touchdown pass. The Generals swung the momentum back in their direction thanks to a touchdown by quarterback Cole Perry. Special teams was a key component to the Generals victory with kicker Jesse Adelberg helping the team control field position all afternoon.
Riverside’s defense was fueled by the likes of Greg McTiernan, Tyler Spaulding and Max Trudeau. On the offensive side running back Henry Taylor also contributed to the offense by throwing a 45-yard touchdown pass to Keating for his second touchdown of the day. Keating also recovered a fumble for the Gators. Andres Lapadula ran the ball well for the Gators behind the blocking of Ronnie Brock, Ben Jones and Marcus Stinebaugh.